BV  2623  .Z9  S3  1902 
Sadtler,  William  Augustus, 

1864- 
Under  two  captains 


o/  ^JL         oCje-^^''*^  ^ 


ac^t^  a-u^^yj^ 


Under  Two  Captains 


A  Romance  of  History 

Born    ,..",    /'•/;  . 


Rev.  W.  a.  SADTIvER,  Ph.D. 


P.tC 


PUBLISHED  FOR  THE 


PHILADELPHIA,  PA. 
THE  UNITED  LUTHERAN  PUBLICATION  HOUSE 


COPYRIGHT,  1902,  BY 

W.  A.  SADTLER. 


TO  ONE  WHO 

ONCE  WELCOMED  THE  HERO  OF  THIS  TALE 

TO  THE 

REFINED   HOSPITALITY 

OF  A  TRULY  CHRISTIAN   HOME, 

AND  WHO   NOW   RESTS,    IN   THE  EVENING  OF  LIFE, 

FROM   HER    ABUNDANT    LABORS — 

TO   MY    MOTHER, 

CAROLINE  SCHMUCKER  SADTLER, 

THIS   BOOK   IS 
AFFECTIONATELY  DEDICATED. 


PREFACE. 

'TRUTH  is  stranger  than  Fiction,  and  more  interesting. 

This  fact  explains  why  the  author  of  this  work  prefers 
to  have  it  known  as  a  romance  of  History,  rather  than  as  a 
historical  romance.  History  it  is  that  we  have  before  us 
for  the  reader  should  know  that  the  strange  and  improbable 
events  among  those  here  recorded  are  well-authenticated 
facts,  and  it  is  only  the  background  and  the  connecting 
links,  as  they  may  be  called,  in  this  remarkable  life-story 
that  come  from  the  author's  hand. 

To  begin  the  enumeration,  it  may  be  said  that  the  cir- 
cumstances of  the  birth,  education  and  varied  acquirements 
of  our  hero  are  given  in  their  simplicity.  There  is  the 
same  brief  setting  forth  in  its  leading  particulars  of  his 
service  under  Napoleon,  with  its  campaigns,  battles  and 
hardships.  The  most  striking  incidents,  as  those  of  the 
escape  from  the  Russian  horsemen  at  Austerlitz,  of  the 
destruction  of  the  Inquisition  at  Madrid  and  of  the  escape 
from  prison,  are  simple  facts.  The  same  statement  holds 
true  of  the  leading  incidents  of  the  hero's  life  in  this  land  ; 
e.  g.,  his  reception  by  the  Quaker,  his  employment,  his 
battle  with  the  rustic  cavalry  in  Eastern  Pennsylvania,  his 
recognition  by  Lafayette  and  many  other  incidents.  Col- 
onel Lehmanowsky  enjoyed  the  friendship  of  the  public 
men  named,  and  attained  great  popularity  as  a  lecturer. 
His  labors  and  sacrifices  on  behalf  of  his  loved  Church 
have  been  told  only  in  part. 

The  author's  sources  of  information  are  many  and 
varied.     No  little  time  has  been  given  to  carefully  selected 


6  PREFACE. 

historical  reading,  and  there  has  been  an  extensive  corres- 
pondence with  those  who  have  made  detailed  and  local 
investigation  of  the  facts  of  this  strange  career.  Foremost 
among  these  investigators  stand  the  Rev.  M.  L.  Wagner, 
of  Vandalia,  111,  to  whose  suggestion  this  work  may  be  said 
to  be  due,  and  Mr.  A.  H.  Raising,  of  Corydon,  Ind.,  a  grand- 
son of  the  hero  of  our  story.  To  these  gentlemen  my 
thanks  for  their  valuable  aid  is  hereby  tendered. 

The  reader  will  be  interested  to  know  that  the  story  of 
this  life  was  written  years  ago  as  an  autobiography  The 
manuscript  was  entrusted  to  a  certain  firm,  to  be  published 
by  them  in  parts  ;  but  was  stolen  while  in  their  hands,  or 
destroyed  to  please  those  who  feared  its  appearance  in 
print.  In  any  event  there  has  been  no  trace  of  it  found  for 
more  than  forty  years.  However,  the  Truth  cannot  be 
destroyed  or  even  long  suppressed. 

There  are  certain  lessons  in  the  life  of  this  patriarch  of 
modern  times  that  should  at  least  be  named.  Like  the 
great  Abraham,  this  Great-Heart  of  our  age  walked  by 
faith,  and  many  a  time  in  the  long  journey  showed  himself 
a  man  of  might,  even  to  the  casting  down  of  strongholds. 
Here  is  an  example  in  true  patriotism  that  our  vainglorious 
age  greatly  needs.  Here  is  a  lesson  for  young  and  old — a 
noble  figure  stepping  out  of  the  well-nigh  forgotten  Past  to 
point  us  to  the  source  of  all  true  strength.  "They  that 
wait  upon  the  Lord  shall  renew  their  strength  ;  they  shall 
mount  up  with  wings  as  eagles  ;  they  shall  run,  and  not  be 
weary  ;  they  shall  walk,  and  not  faint." 


CONTENTS. 


Introduction 9 

CHAPTER. 

I.    A  Stormy  Spring  Time 11 

II.    Lux  EX  Oriente 18 

III.  Freedom  From  the  West 30 

IV.  Mars  in  the  Ascendency 45 

V.    A  Mighty  Personality 69 

VI.  The  Philosophy  of  War  .... 84 

VII.  The  Waning  Planet 99 

VIII.  The  Caged  Lion 115 

IX.  Under  the  Shadow 129 


PAET   IT. 

IN  THE  NEW  WORLD. 

I.  Beginning  Life  Anew 143 

II.  In  a  New  Role 154 

III.  From  the  Farm  to  the  Capital 166 

IV.  Westward  Ho  ! 181 

V.  Nation-Building 193 

VL  A  Servant  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ 205 

Valedictory 216 

7 


INTRODUCTION. 


A  S  I  sit  before  the  wood  fires  that  are  the  centres 
of  comfort  in  this  Western  world,  it  comes  to 
me  again  and  again  that  the  life  of  one  of  these  is 
an  emblem  of  my  life  and  indeed  of  all  life. 

When  first  thrown  upon  the  fire,  how  the  log 
smokes  and  sputters  as  the  heat  penetrates  its  sub- 
stance !  So  it  is  with  the  life  of  man  in  Youth  : 
there  is  much  smoke  and  there  are  gases  burning 
with  strangely  colored  flame  that  must  be  consumed 
before  the  real  work  of  life  can  be  begun. 
Then  comes  the  steady  glow  and  heat  of  man- 
hood, realizing  itself  and  the  purpose  of  its 
being.  Lastly  Age  comes  ;  but  let  no  one  speak 
contemptuously  or  even  lightly  of  it,  as  I  can 
testify  out  of  the  abundant  vigor  of  my  four-score 
years,  there  is  often  fire  under  the  white  ashes 
that   can   warm   or    burn. 

You  have  read,  my  children,  what  the  Psalmist, 
the  Preacher  and  the  Apostle  say  of  the  life  of 
man.  Poet,  Philosopher  and  Scientist  have  added 
their  word  ;  and  the  sum  of  it  all  is,  Man  is  as 
the   grass. 

Why  then  the  story  of  one  more  life,   burning 


10  iNTRODUCTIOrf. 


fiercely  enough  for  the  moment,  but  then  dying 
away  in  the  ashes  of  forgetfulness  ? 

Long  years,  crowded  with  stirring  experience, 
have  been  mine  :  yet  it  is  not  from  any  motive  of 
vanity  that  I  speak,  for  I  have  seen  too  much  af 
lyife  and  of  its  great  events  and  personalities  to 
hold  up  my  own  insignificant  self  to  the  public 
view.  Nor  is  it  because,  like  the  moth  charmed 
by  the  flame,  I  am  attracted  by  the  pomp  or  glitter 
of  the  world  as  I  have  seen  it.  Sic  transit  gloria 
mundi  is  the  sentence  that  I  have  seen  fulfilled  in 
the  case  of  the  grandest  court  and  mightiest 
personality  of  the  modern  world. 

Why  then  do  I  write  my  tale  of  a  life  ?  Not 
from  vanity  or  from  love  of  this  world :  but  to  set 
forth  to  a  heedless  generation  a  fact  that  is  ever 
present  in  my  thoughts — the  fact  of  the  guiding 
hand  of  Almighty  God  in  my  life  and  in  the  life  of 
the  world.  In  the  crystal  beauty  of  the  drop  of 
rain  clinging  to  a  grass  blade  or  in  one  life 
among  the  untold  billions  that  have  appeared  on 
earth  and  are  now  gone,  as  well  as  in  the  conduct 
of  the  vast  universe,  God  is  present. 


CHAPTER  I. 
A   STORMY  SPRING   TIME. 

/^F  how  many  whom  the  world  of  their  day 
called  great  and  of  how  many  known  only 
to  their  little  circle  of  friends  has  it  been  recorded 
that  they  were  born  and  that  they  lived  and  that 
they  died  !  Some  were  kings,  greatly  regarded 
and  feared  in  their  time,  and  others  were  poor 
men  of  whom  the  world  took  little  note :  but, 
great  or  small,  one  record  holds  for  them 
all.  Why  then  burden  patient  paper  with  the 
record  of  one  more  life  from  the  vast  hive  of 
humanity  ? 

Trusting  that  some  good  to  man,  and  especially 
some  honor  to  the  Great  Name  may  result  from 
the  story  of  a  life  that  has  been  as  a  storm- 
driven  wave  of  the  sea,  I  take  up  my  tale, 
fully  realizing  that  Truth  is  stranger  than  Fic- 
tion. 

I  was  born  in  the  city  of  Warsaw,  Poland,  in 

the  year  of  our  blessed  Lord  1773.     In  circles  in 

which  it   has  been   my  lot  to  spend  years  not  a 

few  much  is   made   of  a  family  name   that    has 

held  a  place  of    prominence  for   a  few   centuries 

11 


12  UNDER  TWO  CAPTAINS, 

or  even  generations.  In  this  New  World  too, 
where  Democracy  is  on  the  throne,  men  lay 
great  stress,  I  find,  upon  any  circumstances  worthy 
of  mention  in  the  record  of  their  families.  Did 
boasting  profit,  I  might  tell  of  a  lineage  that  can 
be  followed  back  without  a  break  for  more  than 
three  thousand  years  to  an  ancestor  whose  name 
has  its  honorable  mention,  not  in  any  book  of 
the  peerage,  but  in  the  unchanged  and  imperish- 
able Book  of  God. 

In  other  words,  I  was  born  a  Jew,  of  tribe  and 
family  whose  names  are  household  words  even 
in  untold  Christian  homes:  but  this  knowledge 
shall  die  with  me,  for  to  declare  it  would  be 
nought  but  vanity.  The  family  name  by  which 
we  were  known  to  the  Gentile  world  is 
Lehmanowsky,  and  to  me  there  was  given  in 
infancy,  after  the  ancient  custom  of  Israel,  the 
name  John  Jacob.  I  was  the  first-born  of  the 
family,  my  mother,  whose  people  came  to  Poland 
from  France,  being  but  a  girl  in  years  when  I  was 
born.  Within  the  narrow  limits  of  home  there 
was  happiness  without  alloy,  and  the  years  of  my 
childhood  sped  by,  so  that  now  I  cannot  realize 
that  period  as  anything  else  than  a  fondly  cher- 
ished dream. 

Outside  of  the  home  very  difierent  conditions 
prevailed,  as  I  learned  at  a  fairly  early  age.     The 


A  ROMANCE  OF  HISTOR  V.  13 


hard  lot  of  the  Jew  in  almost  every  part  of  Europe 
eighty  years  ago  is  a  sombre  picture  on  which  I 
need  not  dwell,  for  it  is  known  to  those  who  read 
and  reflect,  and  all  others  would  fail  to  appreciate 
it  in  its  cruel  injustice.  The  Almighty  made  of 
one  blood  all  nations  of  men  to  dwell  on  all  the 
face  of  the  earth,  and  has  declared  Himself  as  the 
Father  of  all  ;  yet  what  evil  seeds  of  distrust  and 
hatred  has  not  Satan  sown  in  men's  hearts  towards 
those  of  alien  race  or  even  of  different  language, 
and  on  what  trifling  provocation  do  not  these  rise 
up  in  brutish  rage  against  their  fellow  men  ! 

In  most  places  the  Jew  was  condemned  to  live 
a  life  apart,  being  regarded  as  one  under  the  curse 
of  God,  as  it  were,  a  religious  leper.  However 
there  was  less  of  this  most  un-Christ-like  spirit 
in  Poland  than  in  other  lands,  and  in  my  time  it 
had  almost  disappeared  under  the  terrible  pressure 
of  danger  from  without. 

To  you  into  whose  hands  this  narrative  may 
fall  Poland's  story  is,  or  should  be,  known  in  its 
great,  pivotal  facts.  You  have  surely  heard  of 
the  glorious  Sobieski  and  of  the  deeds  of  valor 
to  which  he  led  his  people  in  driving  back  the 
barbarian  Turk  from  the  lands  of  Christian 
Europe.  You  know,  too,  something  at  least  of 
the  liberty  and  prosperity  the  Polish  nation  en- 
joyed until  the  rapacious  Russian  bear  fell  upon 


14  UNDER    TWO   CAPTAINS, 

her  in  overpowering  might,  while  sister  nations 
that  should  have  defended  her,  as  she  once  de- 
fended them,  stood  idly  by  or  shared  the  plunder 
with  the  spoiler. 

In  the  midst  of  the  evil  days  that  came  so  fast 
upon  unhappy  Poland,  Patriotism  was  a  cloak  that 
covered  even  the  heinous  sin  of  alien  race.  My 
father  bore  his  part  well  in  those  troubled  times, 
giving  freely  of  his  wealth  and  also  his  counsel 
when  it  was  sought  and  his  personal  aid  to  the 
wounded  and  sick,  for  he  was  by  profession  a 
chemist  or  physician.  Having  inherited  wealth 
in  his  youth,  he  had  abundant  leisure  to  follow  his 
inclination  and  gave  himself  especially  to  science, 
gathering  from  Arabic  and  other  Oriental  sources 
much  lore  that  was  unknown  to  the  professors  in 
the  European  universities.  Literature  and  music 
also  received  a  fair  measure  of  attention,  and 
already  at  home  I  became  a  linguist  and  a  fair 
musician. 

But  even  as  a  lad  it  was  my  lot  to  be  turned 
aside  from  the  quiet  paths  of  Peace.  The  clouds 
of  War  burst  one  after  another  upon  our  once 
happy  land,  and,  boy  as  I  still  was,  I  found  a  place 
in  the  ranks  for  one  campaign.  This  may  seem 
less  strange  when  I  say  that  even  then  I  had 
attained  a  stature  much  like  that  of  Saul  the  son 
of  Kish.     My  height  when  full-grown  was  six  feet 


A  ROMANCE  OF  HISTORY.  15 


and  six  inclies,  and  my  physique  was  in  good  pro- 
portion. While  this  lofty  stature  had  its  unques- 
tioned advantages  in  days  of  Peace  as  in  those  of 
War,  it  often  put  me  to  such  discomfort,  because  of 
cramped  quarters,  that  I  have  sadly  reflected  on 
the  penalty  of  greatness. 

My  boyish  experience  in  War  ended  in  the  de- 
feat of  the  cause  for  which  we  fought ;  but  it 
brought  with  it  its  own  valuable  lessons.  Fore- 
most among  these  was  the  habit  of  steadiness  in 
time  of  excitement  and  especially  under  fire,  and 
then  the  all-important  lesson  of  obedience  to  com- 
mand or  discipline.  At  this  time,  too,  I  gained  a 
fair  skill  in  the  use  of  the  sword,  the  hand  learning 
to  follow  the  eye  as  by  one  instinct.  As  time 
elapsed  and  strength  proportionate  to  my  stature 
came,  such  became  my  mastery  with  the  sabre 
that  among  many  champions  with  this  weapon 
whom  I  met  I  never  found  my  superior. 

The  lessons  learned  under  the  iron  hand  of  Mars 
were  not  soon  forgotten,  for  they  were  to  pass 
into  the  very  texture  of  my  after  life  ;  but  now  for 
more  than  two  happy  years  it  was  my  high  privi- 
lege to  give  myself  with  every  force  of  mind  and 
heart  to  study.  The  very  fact  that  the  Future 
seemed  to  have  nothing  but  calamity  in  store  for 
our  beloved  country,  drove  a  little  band  of  us,  con- 
genial spirits  all,  to  the  most  earnest  study  of  the 


16  UNDER   TWO    CAPTAINS, 


lessons  of  the  mighty  Past,  and  from  that  again  in 
quick  succession  to  speculation,  hope  and  aspira- 
tion for  the  Future,  developing  so  swiftly  before 
our  eyes. 

You  know  what  University  life  is  to  the  young 
European  to-day.  It  is  the  Golden  Age,  not  only 
of  Culture,  but  also  of  Freedom,  of  Brotherhood 
and  of  Aspiration.  If  it  is  still  the  ideal  life  in 
this  materialistic  age,  it  was  all  this  and  more  in 
the  closing  years  of  the  Eighteenth  Century  when 
the  great  conceptions  of  Liberty,  Fraternity  and 
Equality  were  just  blossoming  for  their  fruitage 
on  the  thorny  stem  of  the  old  tree.  Time. 

In  speaking  of  this  life  where  shall  I  begin  or 
end  ?  Surely  I  need  not  pause  to  tell  of  the  build- 
ings that  sheltered  the  University  of  Warsaw,  for 
these  were  but  its  shell  and  doubtless  have  long 
since  been  destroyed  by  the  storm  of  War.  Shall 
I  speak  of  the  professors  ?  There  were  able  men 
among  them  ;  but  their  voices  now  seem  to  sound 
in  my  ears  only  as  a  part  of  the  mighty  chorus  for 
Liberty  that  I  have  heard  for  so  many  years  echo- 
ing throughout  Europe  and  America.  Shall  I  tell 
of  the  body  of  students  representing  many  nation- 
alities and  types  ?  I  had  my  acquaintance  with 
leading  men  among  them,  for  it  has  ever  been  my 
pleasure  to  learn  to  know  those  of  different  lands, 
to  acquire  their  language  and,  as  well  as  might 


A   ROMANCE  OF  HISTORY.  17 


be,  to  enter  iuto  their  life  and  thought.  I  might 
state  here,  that  in  the  course  of  my  life  I  have 
gained  a  fair  mastery  of  twenty-two  languages, 
ancient  and  modern. 

Shall  I  tell  of  individuals  whom  I  learned  to 
esteem,  and  in  one  case  to  love  as  David  loved 
Jonathan  ?  There  were  some  noble  spirits  in  our 
little  band  of  comrades,  and  one  who  was  too  noble 
for  this  world.  He  fell  in  Freedom's  holy  cause 
three  score  years  ago  and  some  of  the  choicest 
spirits  of  our  little  student  world  with  him,  when 
Poland  fell  before  her  savage  foes. 

There  is  no  need  that  I  should  describe  our 
student  life,  now  deeply  earnest  in  its  thought  and 
aspiration,  now  gay  in  the  abandon  of  youthful 
enthusiasm.  We  worked  as  strenuously  as  men  can 
work,  carried  away  at  times  by  the  rush  of  some 
great,  up-lifting  thought,  and  at  times  we  gave 
ourselves  to  pleasure,  and  passed  the  hours  in 
light-hearted  merriment.  Quarrels  there  were  too, 
chiefly  among  those  of  rival  nationalities  or  polit- 
ical tendencies,  and  these  usually  ended  in  the 
duel ;  but  from  these  I  stood  wholly  aloof.  Scars, 
whose  number  almost  passes  belief,  I  could  show 
upon  my  person  ;  but  none  of  these  was  gotten 
in  foolish  brawl. 
2 


CHAPTER  II. 
LUX   EX  ORIENTE. 

A  MONG  the  studies  with  which  I  was  occupied 
during  these  halcyon  years,  that  which 
attracted  me  the  most  strongly  was  History.  Per- 
haps because  my  own  people  are  the  puzzle  of 
History,  its  great  lesson  has  been  to  me  as  the 
unanswered  question  of  the  Sphinx.  The  tragedy 
of  Israel  was  the  theme  that  absorbed  much  of  my 
thinking.  Not  only  did  the  contrast  between  the 
former  glory  of  the  nation  and  its  present  wretch- 
edness fairly  burn  itself  into  my  consciousness ;  but 
the  perplexing  question  arose  before  my  mind 
again  and  again,  and  would  not  down  :  Why  this 
evident  judgment  of  God  upon  that  people  whom 
He  had  chosen  from  among  the  nations  and  led 
and  kept  so  long  as  His  own  peculiar  people  ? 
Was  it,  as  the  Christians  say,  because  the  Christ 
came  to  His  own  people,  and  was  by  them  rejected 
and  crucified  ? 

Who  and  what,  according  to  the  prophets,  was 
the  Christ  to  be,  and  what  was  or  is  His  king- 
dom ? 

And  what  was  to  be  the  end  of  this  tragedy  of  a 
nation  ?     For  what  purpose  was  Israel  being  kept, 

18 


A  ROMANCE  OF  HISTORY.  19 


a  people  without  a  country,  a  government  or  a 
priesthood?  Why  had  Jehovah  chosen  this  one 
people  to  be  the  light-bearers  of  the  world  during 
the  long  ages,  dwelling  among  them,  or  at  least 
making  His  awful  presence  felt  in  almost  every 
turn  of  their  daily  lives  :  yet  afterwards  just  as 
evidently  rejecting  and  punishing  them?  What 
then  was  to  be  their  destiny  ?  Would  God's  old 
covenant  people  ever  again  take  its  place  among 
the  nations  of  earth  ?  If  not,  to  what  end  had  it 
been  so  providentially  kept  a  distinct  people,  even 
centuries  after  its  mighty  oppressor  Rome  had 
fallen  and  crumbled  away  ? 

Most  earnest  and  protracted  was  the  study  I  gave 
to  the  Law  and  the  Prophets,  as  I  thought  on  these 
hard  questions,  and  many,  too,  were  the  conversa- 
tions I  held  with  my  father.  He  was  a  man  of 
strong  intellect,  well  read,  too,  both  in  the  sacred 
writings  and  in  secular  History.  His  turn  of  mind, 
however,  was  philosophical  rather  than  religious, 
the  speculations  of  Reason  and  the  progress  of 
Science  affording  him  his  favorite  themes  for  dis- 
cussion. As  for  any  impartial  discussion  with  our 
Rabbi  of  Israel's  relation  to  Jesus,  the  Messiah  of 
the  Christians,  the  thing  was  impossible.  So 
strong  was  his  feeling  on  this  question  that  he 
would  become  enraged  at  any  suggestion  that 
Jesus  of  Nazareth  could  be  the  Messiah  of  Israel, 


20  UNDER    TWO   CAPTAINS, 

and  would  silence  me  with  the  dreaded  name, 
"Apostate." 

Occasionally  I  would  allow  myself  to  be  drawn 
into  conversation  on  this  most  interesting  of  sub- 
jects by  a  chosen  few  of  my  friends  who  were 
Christians  ;  but  they  would  urge  that  I  should  give 
up  Judaism  as  a  relic  of  the  dead  Past,  and  this  I 
stubbornly  maintained  I  would  not  and  could  not 
do.  Of  my  two  most  intimate  friends,  the  one, 
Heinrich,  was  of  the  prevailing  Roman  Catholic 
faith  ;  the  other,  Carl,  of  the  Protestant  minority. 

In  company  with  Heinrich  I  occasionally 
attended  services  in  the  Roman  Catholic  cathedral. 
At  first  the  impression  was  very  strong  that  was 
made  upon  my  spirit  by  its  sensuous  worship  ;  but 
soon  there  followed  a  comparison  with  the  infi- 
nitely richer  Temple  service,  as  set  forth  in  the 
Scriptures ;  then,  what  I  was  witnessing  seemed 
veiy  bare  indeed.  Then,  too,  the  thing  to  be 
found  in  every  synagogue,  the  very  heart  of  a 
rightly  ordered  service,  viz  :  the  reading  and  expo- 
sition of  the  Scriptures,  was  in  these  Roman  ser- 
vices all  but  wholly  lacking. 

The  worship  of  the  Protestant  Church  I  found 
very  plain  ;  but  then  nothing  elaborate  was 
attempted,  and  it  made  much  of  the  one  thing  I 
especially  prized — the  exposition  of  the  Scriptures. 
This  Gospel  that  was  here  made  the  very  centre  of 


A  ROMANCE  OF  HISTORY.  21 


the  services,  how  different  it  was  from  the  teaching 
of  the  rabbis,  how  simple,  and  yet  how  fraught 
with  irresistible  power  ! 

My  respect  was  won  for  the  work  that  I  could 
see  the  pastor  was  doing,  both  faithfully  and 
efficiently,  in  the  face  of  many  hindrances  and 
petty  persecutions  ;  and  naturally  also  I  came  to 
respect  the  man  himself  His  personality  did  not 
impress  one  at  first  meeting;  for  he  was  unas- 
suming and  even  retiring  in  manner,  though  of  a 
quiet  strength  that  could  give  good  account  of 
itself  when  need  arose.  Pastor  Klein  still  lives  in 
my  thoughts,  a  fragrant  memory  from  that  long- 
gone  Past. 

Acquaintance  with  him  soon  ripened  into  friend- 
ship, and  many  an  earnest  conversation  we  had  in 
his  study,  or  of  a  Sunday  afternoon  as  we  walked 
or  lingered  in  some  retired  spot,  under  the  pines, 
perhaps,  well  away  from  the  crowds  of  the  city. 
At  such  times  I  could  not  but  recognize  that  I  was 
talking  with  a  man  mighty  in  the  Scriptures,  in 
the  Law  and  the  Prophets  just  as  truly  as  in  the 
Gospel. 

In  the  older  Scriptures  I  too  was  well  versed, 
and  before  my  imagination,  as  distinctly  as  the 
towers  of  Warsaw  rose  before  my  eyes,  glowed  the 
vision  of  the  kingdom  of  the  Greater  David,  who 
I  believed,  was  yet  to  come.     For  this  expected 


22  UNDER  TWO  CAPTAINS. 


kingdom  of  earth  I  contended  with  many  a  care- 
fully studied  argument,  but  without  convincing 
even  myself.  An  illustration  that  I  could  not 
escape,  for  it  lay  on  the  very  surface,  was  that  our 
loved  kingdom  of  Poland,  now  tottering,  as  we 
could  see,  to  its  fall ;  yet  destined,  we  firmly 
believed,  to  further  the  holy  cause  of  Freedom  by 
the  wrongs  it  had  so  innocently  and  heroically 
endured. 

But  my  honored  friend  was  able  to  give  a  reason 
for  the  faith  that  was  in  him  by  citing  far  deeper 
truths  than  that  involved  in  the  fate  of  Poland. 

"Your  cherished  vision  of  a  greater  David  and 
of  a  more  splendid  Solomon,"  said  the  pastor,  "is 
a  very  attractive  one  to  the  natural  heart;  but 
it  holds  up  the  ideal  of  earth,  and  not  that  of 
heaven.  God's  thoughts  are  not  our  thoughts, 
and  the  Messiah,  He  saw  the  world  needed  was  One 
of  whom  it  could  be  said  :  '  He  shall  not  cry,  nor 
lift  up,  nor  cause  his  voice  to  be  heard  in  the 
street.  A  bruised  reed  shall  he  not  break,  and  the 
smoking  flax  shall  he  not  quench :  and  he  shall 
bring  forth  judgment  unto  truth.  He  shall  not 
fail  nor  be  discouraged,  till  he  have  set  judgment 
in  the  earth  :  and  the  isles  shall  wait  for  His 
law.'  " 

"  And  was  not  this  prophetic  picture  realized  in 
Jesus  of  Nazareth  ?     Did  he  not  go  about  in  pov- 


A  ROMANCE  OF  HISTORY.  23 

erty  and  lowliness,  doing  in  quiet  and  obscurity 
His  wonderful  work  for  the  redemption  of  man 
from  the  power  of  Satan  ?  Did  He  not  show  Him- 
self  merciful  beyond  the  measure  of  our  under- 
standing with  the  bruised  reeds  of  humanity,  the 
mammonized  publicans  and  the  earth-stained  sm- 
ners>  Did  He  not  even  make  of  such  pillars  for  the 
glorious  City  of  God,  and  fan  the  faintly  smoking 
embers  of  spirituality  in  the  soul  of  a  Peter  until 
they  could  set  three  thousand  souls  on  fire  with  the 
consuming  desire  for  righteousness  ?  " 

Here  I  demanded  of  the  pastor  exact  proof  from 
the  prophetic  Scriptures  that  the  Messiah  of  Israel 
was  to  be  such  a  one  as  he  was  describing. 

"  To  go  back  then,"  he  continued,  "  to  the  days  of 
old  •    Does  not  God's  purpose  of  love  for  His  people 
Israel  stand  out  in  the  old  Scriptures  as  m  letters 
of  fire    and   did   not   Israel   in   hardness  of  heart 
thrust  this  love  away  ?     Is  it  not  written  in  Isaiah, 
'  But  now  thus  saith  the  Lord  that  created  thee,  O 
Jacob,  and  He  that  formed  thee,  O  Israel,  Fear  not: 
for  I  have  redeemed  thee,  I  have  called  thee  by  thy 
name;  thou  art  mine.'     And   again,  'This  people 
have  I  formed  for  myself;  they  shall  show  forth  my 
praise  '     Such  peculiar  and  tender  love  of  the  God 
and  Father  of  us  all  for  Israel  there  certainly  was, 
as  might  be  shown  by  many  a  passage  ol  Holy 
Writ      A  purpose  there  is  here  that  reaches  back 


24  UNDER  TWO  CAPTAINS, 

to  the  dim  light  of  Creation ;  yes,  even  to  the  un- 
thinkable ages  of  Eternity;  for  God  created  Israel 
for  His  own  glory.  Ingratitude  may  come  in,  and 
it  did  come  in,  to  interrupt  the  flow  of  God's  love 
for  His  people  and  through  them  for  all  mankind: 
but  could  man's  sin,  think  you,  break  the  eternal 
purpose  of  God  ?  Affliction  came  upon  Israel  now 
and  again  because  of  its  sin  in  the  fulfillment  of 
God's  plan  of  love;  yet  Jehovah  remembered  His 
people  in  love  even  in  the  days  of  their  merited 
chastisement.  '  But  the  Lord  hath  taken  you,  and 
brought  you  forth  out  of  the  iron  furnace,  even  out 
of  Egypt,  to  be  unto  Him  a  people  of  inheritance, 
as  ye  are  this  day.'  " 

"  But  mark  now  the  three-fold  thwarting  of  the 
Great  Shepherd's  purpose  of  love  by  a  rebellious 
people.  You  know  too  well  the  sad  story  of  the 
ungrateful  murmuring  in  the  wilderness  and  of  the 
forty  years  of  wandering  that  a  just  God  ordained 
as  recompense.  Then,  after  long  generations  of 
enjoyment  of  the  Land  of  Promise  and  of  unfailing 
experience  of  God's  faithfulness  and  mercy,  the  peo- 
ple turned  aside  to  serve  idols,  and  were  delivered 
to  their  enemies  to  serve  for  seventy  years  in  the 
bitterness  of  the  Babylon  Captivity.  Finally  Israel 
committed  the  great  sin  of  its  whole  sin-stained 
career  in  rejecting  and  crucifying  God's  own  all- 
loving  Son,  and  through  the  weary  centuries  since 


A  ROMANCE  OF  HISTORY.  25 

it  has  been  a  wanderer  on  earth,  finding  no  rest  for 
its  foot  and  no  peace  for  its  heart." 

*'  Over  against  all  this,  consider  the  thing  that 
might  have  been  for  Israel  in  the  fulfillment  of 
God's  gracious  promise  that  peace  should  come  to  it 
as  a  river.  '  O  that  thou  hadst  hearkened  to  my 
commandments!  then  had  thy  peace  been  as  a  river 
and  thy  righteousness  as  the  waves  of  the  sea.' 
Instead  of  the  River  of  Peace  that  the  Lord  God 
intended  should  come  to  Israel,  watering  and  mak- 
ing glad  all  the  fields  of  its  life,  there  has  come 
desolation  that  is  as  the  desert  sands  that  have 
buried  Babylon  and  Ninevah  with  their  sins  from 
men's  sight." 

"  But  there  is  a  very  different  thing  that  shall  be 
when  the  fullness  of  God's  set  time  has  come. 
Then,  when  the  Gentile  branches  have  had  their 
day  for  fruit-bearing,  the  natural  brarches  shall 
be  restored  and  Israel  shall  even  yet  be  saved. 
'  And  they  also,  if  they  abide  not  still  in  unbelief, 
shall  be  grafted  in:  for  God  is  able  to  graft  them  in 
again.  And  so  all  Israel  shall  be  saved:  as  it  is 
written,  There  shall  come  out  of  Sion  the  Deliverer, 
and  shall  turn  away  ungodliness  from  Jacob.' 
Great  was  the  sin  of  the  men  of  Israel  when  with 
wicked  hands  they  crucified  the  Lord  of  Glory:  yet 
the  All-wise  One  fore-knew  even  this  crowning  act 
of  wickedness,  and  ordained  good  from  this  also. 


26  UNDER  TWO  CAPTAINS, 

His  mercy  is  now  turned  to  the  Gentiles;  but, 
when  the  fullness  of  the  Gentiles  is  come,  Israel 
shall  again  be  raised  by  the  hand  of  Almighty 
power  and  love.     Ezekiel  36:  24-28." 

"  Yet  there  is  a  condition  that  is  indispensable  to 
this  restoration  of  Israel ;  there  is  one  lever  of 
might  that  alone  can  lift  an  entire  people  from  the 
place  of  its  wretchedness,  gilded  though  that 
wretchedness  be  in  the  case  of  many.  If  we  turn 
again  to  the  words  of  the  prophet,  we  see  that 
prayer  is  that  lever  that  can  raise  one  people  or  the 
whole  world.  '  Thus  saith  the  Lord  God:  I  will  yet 
for  this  be  enquired  of  by  the  house  of  Israel,  to 
do  it  for  them." 

' '  But,  when  we  pray  to  the  Father  for  the 
redemption  of  the  world  from  Sin  and  its  deaden- 
ing power,  we  pray  for  the  coming  of  the  Christ, 
and  so  we  come  again  to  the  great  question  of  the 
mission  of  Jesus.  What  was  that  mission  ?  It  was 
to  be  to  the  world  lying  in  Sin  the  light-bearer 
that  Israel  was  intended  to  be,  and  infinitely  more, 
even  the  Lamb  slain  from  the  foundation  of  the 
world.  Those  Jews  of  modern  times  and  others  of 
like  spirit  who  would  accept  Jesus  as  the  greatest 
of  prophets,  and  yet  reject  Him  as  the  Lamb  of 
God  slain  for  the  sin  of  the  world,  overlook  in 
their  superficial  rationalism  the  claims  that  He 
made  over  and  again  that  He  is  the  Son  of  God 


A  ROMANCE  OF  HISTORY.  27 

and  one  with  God.  Either  he  is  what  He  declares 
Himself  to  be,  Very  God  of  Very  God,  or  He  is  a 
deceiver  or  poor  crazed  fanatic  ;  there  is  no  middle 

ground." 

"Jesus  Christ  was  born  into  this  world  and  lived 
the  life  that  He  chose  for  Himself  that  He  might 
die  the  death  that  was  to  set  men  free  from  the 
awful  might  of  Sin.  '  The  Son  of  Man  must  be 
lifted  up,'  is  the  thought  that  was  ever  present 
with  Him,  to  cast  its  hateful  shadow  over  the  path- 
way of  His  pure  life.  All  the  bitter  particulars  of 
the  treading  of  the  wine-press  of  the  wrath  of  God 
were  present  to  His  mind,  and  from  time  to  time 
He  impressed  the  sad  truth  upon  His  disciples,  that 
in  the  hour  of  test  they  might  not  be  offended 
in  Him,  their  Crucified  Saviour." 

♦'Deep,  beyond  the  power  of  words  to  describe,  as 
were  the    depths    of    humiliation   and  sorrow  to 
which  our  Lord  stooped  in  His  work  of  atonement, 
it  was  necessary  for  Him  to  descend  here,  as  into 
hell  itself,  that  man  might  be  saved  from  the  ruin 
Sin  had  wrought  in  his  soul.     Foolish  and  wrong 
as   our  Saviour's  course  seemed  to  many  when  He 
was   upon   earth.  Time   has   vindicated   Him  and 
shown  that  all  that  He  did  and  said  was  done  and 
said  with  the  pure  wisdom  of  heaven.     The  bitter- 
est fling  that  His  enemies  made  against  Him  was 
that  he  was  possessed  of  a  devil.     But  the  progress 


28  UNDER  TWO  CAPTAINS, 

of  the  Christian  centuries  has  shown  that  Jesus 
Christ  came  to  destroy  the  works  of  the  Devil  and 
to  put  Satan  himself  in  chains  unto  judgment.  Our 
Lord  was  put  to  death  on  the  charge  of  blasphemy. 
But  God  the  Father  has  disproved  this  charge  by 
raising  His  Son  from  the  dead,  and  thus  giving 
assurance  that  He  shall  come  again  in  power  and 
glory.  Jesus  of  Nazareth  has  been  vindicated  as 
the  Christ  of  God  in  another  way  also,  i.  <??.,  by  the 
growing  sentiment  of  men,  for  the  time  has  come 
when  worldly  and  even  evil  men  speak  of  Him 
with  profound  respect.  Most  of  all,  however.  He 
has  been  vindicated  by  the  life  of  inner  joy  and 
peace  that  all  those  have  found  who  have  accepted 
His  invitation:  '  Come  unto  Me,  all  ye  that  labor 
and  are  heavy-laden,  and  I  will  give  you  rest.'  " 

"  On  the  one  side  of  the  scale  of  our  Redeemer's 
life  stands  the  fact,  deep  far  beyond  the  measure  of 
our  minds,  '  He  poured  out  His  soul  unto  death  ;' 
but  on  the  other  the  wonderful  and  blessed  fact  that 
men  are  coming  to  see  in  the  peaceful  conquest  of 
the  world  by  the  Gospel  of  Christ,  '  He  shall  see 
of  the  travail  of  His  soul  and  be  satisfied.'  " 

So  the  pastor  ended  his  argument  from  the 
Scriptures  late  one  Sunday  night,  and  I  made  my 
way  home,  there  to  spend  the  remainder  of  the 
night  searching  the  prophets  for  some  word  with 
which   to   answer   him.     This   I   could   not    find, 


A  ROMANCE  OF  HISTORY.  20 


though  I  continued  my  search  all  through  the  next 
day  and  well  into  the  night. 

Finally  sleep  came,  bringing  the  vision  of  the 
Man  of  Sorrows  as  He  stood,  a  thorn-crowned 
King,  in  Pilate's  judgment  hall.  I  know  very  well 
that  those  who  have  shut  faith  out  from  their 
hearts  as  a  childish  thing,  and  who  pride  them- 
selves on  the  scientific  character  of  their  thinking, 
would  have  a  dozen  explanations  for  this  vision  of 
the  Christ  ;  but  to  me  it  remains  one  of  the  most 
real  facts  of  my  whole  life.  As  I  looked  on  Him, 
the  Thorn-crowned  One  turned  and  gave  me  a 
look,  and  that  look  said  more  plainly  than  words 
could  have  done,  "  Art  thou  ashamed  of  Me  ?" 
From  that  instant  I  knew  in  my  heart  that  He  was 
my  Saviour-King,  for  whom  I  could  live  or  die,  as 
He  willed. 

When  conviction  of  the  Truth  had  thus  at  last 
come  to  me,  I  lost  no  time  in  making  the  fact 
known  to  the  world.  At  the  first  suitable  oppor- 
tunity I  made  public  avowal  of  my  faith  in 
Christ,  and  was  received  into  the  communion  of  the 
Evangelical  Lutheran  Church  through  the  sacra- 
ment of  baptism.  My  parents  were  very  angry  at 
first ;  but  the  Spirit  of  Truth  must  have  spoken  to 
them  also,  for  they  soon  became  heartily  reconciled 
to  my  act, 


CHAPTER  III. 
FREEDOM    FROM   THE  WEST. 

A  LL  too  soon  it  seemed  my  University  life  came 
to  an  end.  What  had  it  been  and  to  what  did 
it  lead  ?  It  had  been  broken  in  upon  by  the  rude 
hand  of  war ;  yet  it  was  no  mere  thing  of  shreds  and 
patches,  but  had  a  certain  completeness  of  its  own. 
There  had  been  a  general  view  of  the  vast  field  of 
knowledge,  and,  hasty  as  this  had  of  necessity  been, 
the  recollection  of  it  gave  me  in  whatsoever  society 
I  afterwards  found  myself,  the  strength  and  freedom 
of  spirit  that  are  the  most  valued  possessions  of  the 
educated  man. 

Still,  it  must  be  admitted,  definiteness  of  aim  had 
been  lacking  in  my  studies,  and  the  end  of  the 
course  left  me  without  any  fixed  plan  or  purpose. 
I  did  not  feel  satisfied  to  settle  down  to  the  practice 
of  a  profession,  and  far  less  to  the  conduct  of  busi- 
ness. Neither  did  the  thought  of  a  life  given  to 
scientific  experiment  or  scholarly  research  appeal 
to  me.  Something  of  the  unrest  of  the  age  had 
seized  me,  and,  like  the  eagle  longing  to  try  his 
wings  in  the  azure  vault,  I  burned  with  the  desire 
to  push  out  into  the  big  world  and  mingle  in  the 
swiftly  changing  scenes  of  public  life, 
30 


A  ROMANCE  OF  HISTORY.  31 


Whither  should  I  turn  to  find  my  hoped  for 
sphere  ?  Freedom  was  the  bright  vision  that  a  few 
of  us  cherished  as  our  choicest  day-dream,  and  so 
the  problem  resolved  itself  into  the  search  for  the 
abode  of  Freedom.  It  is  to  the  western  skies  that 
men  have  been  accustomed  to  look  to  see  the  star  of 
Freedom  twinkling  forth  its  rays  of  hope.  To  the 
West,  therefore,  I  and  others  with  me,  had  accus- 
tomed ourselves  to  look  often  and  long  in  those 
days  of  the  generous  aspiration  of  youth. 

America,  with  its  Washington  and  the  galaxy  of 
noble  names  associated  with  him  ;  the  Declaration 
of  Independence,  the  noblest  of  the  voices  of  Free- 
dom ;  the  thoroughly  matured  Constitution  of  the 
young  nation  of  the  West — these  were  the  topics 
of  many  an  earnest  discussion.  Next  in  its  place 
in  our  interest  stood  France  and  her  circle  of  gifted 
ones  crying  aloud  against  the  heaped- up  burdens 
that  long  centuries  of  Monarchy,  Prelacy  and 
Aristocracy  had  fastened  upon  the  necks  of  the 
people. 

What  was  there  of  Truth  to  give  point  to  the 
shafts  of  Voltaire  ?  Upon  what  foundation  did  the 
work  of  Rousseau  stand  ?  What  of  his  "  Back  to 
Nature"  cry,  and  what  is  that  Nature?  Is  it  in- 
deed a  thing  of  innate  nobility,  or  is  it  only 
humanity  in  the  rough,  uncultured,  if  not,  alas, 
unwashed  ?    What  was  there  for  a  nation's  hope  in 


32  UNDER  TWO  CAPTAINS, 

Mirabeau  ?  Was  there  anything  of  good  in  Louis, 
by  the  grace  of  God,  King  of  the  French  ?  Could 
not  some  great  and  noble  course  be  expected  of 
Lafayette,  the  hero-friend  of  the  great  Washington  ? 
Finally,  what  of  the  Third  Estate?  Was  it  not 
indeed  by  a  newly  discovered  "  divine  right "  the 
French  nation,  for  does  it  not  come  to  us  as  the 
wisdom  of  the  ages,  Vox  populi,  vox  Dei  ? 

There  seemed  to  be  but  one  sure  way  to  answer 
these  questions  that  came  crowding  so  fast  upon 
one  another  and  that  meant  so  much  to  the  lover  of 
his  kind,  and  that  was  to  go  and  see.     This  con- 
clusion was   reached  by    two  friends   and   myself 
late  one  night,  after  hours  of  earnest  discussion, 
and  it  was  a  few  weeks  only  until  we  put  it  into 
execution.     The  increasing  gloominess  of  the  po- 
litical situation  in  our  own  land  helped  to  reconcile 
our  parents  to  the  thought  of  our  launching  out 
into  the  great  world.     In  Poland  the  cause  of  Lib- 
erty  seemed   all    but  hopeless ;  in   France,    while 
there  was  much  to  condemn,  there  was  not  a  little 
to  admire.     Perhaps  a  few  earnest  and  disciplined 
spirits,  throwing   themselves  vigorously  into   the 
scale,  might  be  able  in  time  to  turn  the  balance 
towards  some  such  happy  results  as  those  to  which 
Providence  had  led  the  American  patriots.    Carried 
away,  as  we  were,   by  such  youthful  dreams,  we 
could  hardly  await  the  time  set  for  our  departure. 


A   ROMANCE  OF  HISTORY.  33 

Then  too  France  was  to  me  my  mother's  native 
land,  and  its  language  a  second  mother  tongue. 

Three  score  years  have  passed  away  since  my  two 
friends  and  myself  took  our  places  in  the  lumber- 
ing old  carriage  that  was  to  bear  us  over  the  first 
stage  of  our  journey  westward  ;  but  I  remember  my 
feelings  as  though  our  leaving  home  were  an  event ' 
of  yesterday.     There  was  the  strong  glow  of  youth- 
ful anticipation  uplifting  my  spirit  as  on  a  wave, 
yet  over  all  was  the  shadow  of  the  sorrow  of  part- 
ing from  a  father  who  had  been  to  me  Wisdom 
itself  and  from  a  mother  who  ever  showed  herself 
Love.     Had  I  known  that  I  was  to  see  them  but 
once  more  in  this  life,  and  then  amid  the  confusion 
and  haste  of  War,  the  cloud  of  sorrow  would  most 
certainly  havel^overed  the  entire  sky. 

As  it  was,  in  the  ignorance  that  is  bliss,  we  jour- 
neyed away  from  home  and  loved  ones  into  the 
great  world  that  had  no  more  thought  for  us  than 
for  the  dust  blown  along  its  highways.  Small  as 
was  the  part  we  filled  then  or  ever  afterwards  in 
the  affairs  of  the  world,  we  saw  ourselves  magni- 
fied many  times  through  the  medium  of  the  egotism 
of  youth  and  gravely  passed  our  all-decisive  judg- 
ment on  people  and  things  as  we  met  them  in  our 
travel,  or  as  word  came  to  us  about  them  from  the 
human  hive  toward  which  our  journey  tended.  As 
we  drew  near  the  borders  of  France  we  met  many 


3 


34  UNDER  TWO  CAPTAINS, 

representatives  of  a  class  that  alternately  attracted 
and  repelled  us.  This  was  the  class  of  Emigrant 
Nobles,  driven  from  home  and  native  land  by  the 
dread  of  the  Commune  and  eagerly  seeking  to 
hasten  the  day  of  their  vengeance  by  making  com- 
mon cause  with  their  country's  hereditary  foes. 
At  first  we  felt  drawn  to  these  people  because  of 
their  misfortunes  and  their  culture ;  but,  as  we  came 
to  understand  their  imperious  pride  and  heartless- 
ness  toward  those  beneath  them  in  the  social  scale, 
we  agreed  that  these  had  another  spirit  from  our- 
selves and  held  somewhat  aloof  from  their  com- 
pany. 

As  all  things  mundane  have  their  end,  our  long 
journey  was  at  last  over  and  we  found  ourselves  in 
Paris.  Very  different  was  the  Paris  of  that  day 
from  the  beautiful  city  of  to-day,  and  just  as  diflfer- 
ent  was  it  from  the  city  of  our  dreams.  Despite  its 
many  stately  buildings,  the  Paris  we  looked  on 
with  such  eager  eyes  in  those  days  now  so  long 
past  was  for  the  most  part  a  city  of  narrow  and 
gloomy  streets,  savoring  far  more  of  the  Middle 
Ages  than  of  what  we  of  this  land  would  consider 
the  living  Present. 

What  most  men  would  call  chance,  but  what  I 
prefer  to  call  Providence,  guided  us  in  our  choice 
of  lodgings.  These  were  not  only  comfortable  and 
reasonable,  but  were  also  most  desirable  for  us  on 


A  ROMANCE  OF  HISTOR  V.  35 


account  of  the  personality  of  our  landlord.  He 
held  some  petty  position  (I  forget  just  what)  in  the 
public  service  that  gave  him  the  best  opportunity 
for  forming  opinions  of  those  who  came  and  went 
as  the  leaders  of  the  people.  He  was,  moreover,  a 
quiet,  earnest  man,  more  given  to  thought  than  to 
speech,  and  above  all  things  a  true  patriot.  As  day 
after  day  we  gave  ourselves  to  the  study  of  the  city 
and  more  especially  of  the  people  and  were  often  in 
great  perplexity  what  to  think,  this  man  took  a 
true,  fatherly  interest  in  us  and  gave  us  much 
valuable  counsel. 

All  too  soon  we  found  out  what  truth  there  is  in 
the  statement,  "  'Tis  distance  lends  enchantment  to 
the  view."  One  after  another  the  bright  visions 
we  had  so  fondly  cherished  of  a  sovereign  and 
enlightened  people  ruling  itself  with  justice  and 
wisdom  showed  themselves  to  be  the  emptiest 
illusions.  The  much-advertised  French  Constitu- 
tion may  have  gained  some  substantiality  after 
many  years  had  passed  over  it  and  given  it  a  cer- 
tain standing  ;  but  in  those  days  it  was  no  more 
substantial  than  the  cloud  bank  that  the  heat  of  a 
summer  day  piles  up  against  the  horizon.  As  for 
the  National  Assembly  it  was  but  a  rope  of  sand, 
or  at  best  one  of  straw,  not  to  be  depended  upon 
for  the  safety  of  any  cause.  The  Press  was  influ- 
ential then  as  now,  and  the  Placard  and  the   Pam- 


36  UNDER  TWO  CAPTAINS, 

phlet  spoke  to  their  thousands,  but  these  were  as 
irresponsible  as  the  winds  that  blow  now  east,  now 
west.  Somewhat  more  stable  in  their  positions 
were  the  Clubs  :  yet  it  was  no  pure,  life-giving 
water  that  flowed  from  the  most  of  these,  but  a 
very  turbid  stream,  staining  rather  than  cleansing 
men's  spirits. 

It  was  not  these  things  I  have  named,  but  the 
people  that  from  the  very  day  of  our  arrival  forced 
itself  on  our  attention  and  held  us  as  under  a  spell. 
The  French  people  !  What  a  favored  nation  by 
the  gifts  of  Nature,  blending  the  strength  of  the 
Frank  or  Teuton  with  the  versatility  and  vivacity 
of  the  Latin,  and  yet  somehow  how  lacking  !  Even 
in  the  space  of  a  few  weeks  how  often  did  we  not 
see  that  people  change  almost  in  a  moment  from 
the  peaceful  charm  of  a  lake  or  sea  glittering  and 
rippling  in  the  sun  to  the  demoniac  fury  of  the 
tempest.  We  had  come  to  France  strongly  preju- 
diced in  favor  of  its  people,  but,  as  we  observed 
that  people  in  its  revolutionary  throes  daily  becom- 
ing a  thing  of  terror  to  others  and  even  to  itself, 
we  lost  our  admiration  for  it  and  came  to  consider 
it  as  little  more  than  a  rabble  and  to  say  among 
ourselves  :   Odiprofanum  vtilgum. 

And  yet  there  was  something  pathetic,  we  felt, 
in  the  struggle  of  a  people  striving,  however  ignor- 
antly  and  blindly,  to  be  free.     Here  was  a  blind- 


A   ROMANCE  OF  HISTORY.  37 

folded  giant,  striking  out  in  all  directions  in  his 
rage.  What  might  that  giant  not  accomplish, 
were  his  eyes  to  be  unbandaged  and  he  himself 
rightly  instructed  !  What  might  not  the  gifted 
French  people  have  wrought  out  for  itself  and  for 
humanity  in  general,  had  it  been  guided  in  its 
struggle  for  Liberty  by  the  light  of  that  Word  of 
eternal  Truth  wherein  Israel  of  old  and  the  truly 
great  nations  of  to-day  walked  and  are  now  walk- 
ing !  Had  France  walked  in  the  light  of  the  Truth 
that  makes  men  free,  her  blood-stained  Revolution 
would  have  been  replaced  by  a  life-giving  Refor- 
mation, and  she  would  stand  forth  to-day  a  queen 
among  the  nations  of  the  earth. 

But  France  was  not  a  land  of  the  Open  Bible, 
and  so  the  fires  of  Revolution,  fed  by  the  passions 
of  infuriated  men,  burned  ever  more  fiercely  until 
the  fire  burned  itself  out.  When  we  arrived  in 
Paris  the  fires  of  men's  passions  were  burning  the 
hottest,  for  the  Commune,  with  the  de-humanized 
Robespierre  as  its  high-priest  and  with  the  guillo- 
tine as  its  altar,  was  supreme  in  the  city  and 
throughout  France.  I  need  not  tell  the  oft-told 
story  of  those  evil  days  :  enough  if  I  tell  what  be- 
fell my  comrades  and  myself 

When  we  had  come  to  what  we  thought  was  a 
fair  understanding  of  the  situation,  I  was  chosen 
spokesman,  and  attempted  to  deliver  a  few  care- 


38  UNDER    TWO    CAPTAINS, 

fully  considered  patriotic  sentiments  on  the  duty  of 
the  citizen.  As  the  custom  of  the  day  was,  I  spoke 
standing  on  the  open  street  where  a  small  crowd 
had  gathered,  my  unusual  stature  making  me  a 
conspicuous  figure.  I  tried  to  speak  in  plain 
words  and  to  the  point ;  but  the  sullen  demeanor  of 
the  crowd  and  an  occasional  word  of  hostile  com- 
ment showed  me  in  a  very  few  minutes  that,  to  say 
the  least,  speaker  and  audience  were  not  en  rap- 
port^ so  I  brought  my  patriotic  eloquence  to  an 
abrupt  conclusion.  After  earnest  reflection  we 
concluded  that  this  most  evident  lack  of  fellow 
feeling  between  ourselves  and  those  who  then  and 
there  represented  the  French  people  lay  not  merely 
in  the  fact  that  we  were  clean,  well-fed  and  well- 
clothed  ;  while  the  majority  of  these  were  unkempt, 
hungry  and  ragged  ;  but  in  the  deeper-lying  fact 
that  we  stood  for  Christian  patriotism,  and  these 
for  brutish  violence.  As  a  matter  of  duty  I  made 
two  more  efforts  to  instill  this  rabble  with  some 
idea  of  what  the  word  Patriot  really  meant,  but 
the  outcome  was  not  happy.  The  first  time  I  had 
spoken  but  a  few  minutes  when  paving  stones  were 
hurled  at  my  head,  and  it  was  only  by  the  elo- 
quence of  the  fist  freely  bestowed  that  we  made 
our  escape  from  the  canaille.  On  the  last  occasion 
I  had  hardly  begun  speaking  to  a  little  group 
when  the  crowd  came  flocking  about  us,  some  of 


A  ROMANCE  OF  HISTORY.  39 


them  with  swords  and  pikes,  with  which  they 
threatened  us.  As  we  wore  our  heavy  Polish 
sabres  by  our  sides,  and  had  some  skill  in  their 
use,  by  quick  work  we  succeeded  in  striking  the 
weapons  out  of  their  hands,  while  we  made  our 
escape  amid  shouts  of  "  Down  with  the  Aristo- 
crats !  "  Our  kindly-disposed  landlord  told  us  that 
evening  what  our  own  common  sense  had  already 
made  clear  to  us,  viz.  :  that  our  careers  as  French 
patriots  were  now  ended. 

After  this  it  was  clearly  unsafe  for  us  to  walk 
the  streets,  except  late  at  night,  for,  if  we  escaped 
death  at  the  hands  of  the  mob,  it  lay  in  wait  for  us 
in  the  form  of  the  murderous  suspicion  that  would 
have  delivered  us  to  prison,  and  then  by  a  short 
step  to  the  guillotine.  In  those  evil  days  when 
human  tigers  roamed  the  city,  craving  blood,  there 
was  but  one  thing  for  peace-loving  strangers  like 
ourselves  to  do,  and  that  was  to  get  away  as 
quickly  as  possible.  But  this  step  we  found  to  our 
sorrow  was  more  easily  decided  upon  than  taken, 
so  murderous  was  the  spirit  of  the  rabble  then  in 
power  toward  any  who  might  come  under  the 
faintest  shadow  of  the  suspicion  of  favoring  the 
hated  Aristocrats.  The  old  fable  of  the  visitors  to 
the  lion's  den  seemed  about  to  be  acted  out  by  our 
unfortunate  selves,  for  none  were  permitted  to 
leave  the   city   without   passports  certifying   that 


40  UNDER   TWO    CAPTAINS, 

they  were  loyal  citizens  of  the  French  Commune, 
and  such  passports  we  could  not  get,  though  our 
friend  exerted  himself  on  our  behalf  to  the  point  of 
endangering  his  life.  As  our  situation  was  daily 
becoming  more  precarious,  we  resolved  to  cut  our 
Gordian  knot  by  enlisting  in  the  Army  of  the 
French  Republic.  There  was  more  satisfaction  in 
this  course  than  might  at  first  appear,  for,  while 
what  should  have  been  the  fountain  head  of  Lib- 
erty was  pouring  forth  a  turbid  stream,  the  armed 
forces  of  the  Republic  were  even  then  beating 
back  the  old  feudal  tyranny  from  the  frontier. 

We  accordingly  betook  ourselves  to  the  recruit- 
ing station,  and  were  happy  to  demonstrate  with 
foils  upon  the  persons  of  those  in  charge  that  we 
were  acquainted  with  the  use  of  weapons.  Our 
enlistment  promptly  followed,  and  very  soon  after- 
wards we  had  our  first  taste  of  the  hardness  of  War, 
by  being  assigned  to  different  regiments,  and  thus 
separated.  It  was  only  at  long  intervals  that  we 
were  able  to  meet,  to  recount  our  experiences  and 
to  live  over  youthful  days.  Both  of  my  comrades 
quitted  themselves  like  men,  rose  to  some  rank, 
and  finally  died  the  soldier's  death. 

As  for  myself  I  was  given  the  rank  of  sergeant, 
and  soon  after  sent  away  to  join  the  forces  besieg- 
ing Toulon.  Just  here  the  insignificant  stream  of 
my  life  joins  the  mighty  current  of  History,  for  I 


A  ROMANCE  OF  HISTORY.  41 


had  my  part  in  the  event  that  has  made  the  name 
Toulon  one  of  note.  You  know  from  your  reading 
how  the  forts,  supported  by  an  English  fleet  in  the 
harbor,  stood  unshaken  by  all  our  attack.  Then 
it  was  that  a  certain  Captain  of  Artillery,  Bona" 
parte  by  name,  came  forward  with  his  plan  for 
carrying  one  fort  by  assault,  maintaining  that  its 
capture  would  at  once  render  the  enemy's  whole 
position  untenable.  The  plan  was  approved  by 
the  military  council,  and  Captain  Bonaparte  was 
given  the  privilege  of  carrying  it  through,  aided 
by  what  volunteers  he  could  get  for  his  forlorn 
hope.  The  venture  appealed  to  my  youthful 
spirit,  as  I  could  not  but  remember  the  stronghold 
of  Mt.  Zion,  and  how,  despite  its  strength,  David's 
men  of  war  had  carried  it  by  assault.  I  well  recall 
that  first  experience  under  my  new  commander. 
After  a  fierce  artillery  duel  and  under  cover  of 
attack  at  two  other  points,  we  crept  stealthily 
along  the  bed  of  a  ravine,  and  then  came  the  rush 
over  the  open  ground  and  through  the  hail  of 
death  up  to  the  guns  of  the  "Little  Gibralter." 
Thanks  to  my  stature,  I  was  the  first  man  over  the 
parapet,  and  with  my  long  sword  arm  I  was  able 
to  beat  back  a  few  of  the  defenders  and  make  way 
for  some  of  my  comrades.  These  came  svv^arming 
into  the  fort,  and  soon  it  was  ours  and  its  guns 
turned  on  the  other  forts,  and  then  on  the  ships. 


42  UNDER  TWO  CAPTAINS, 

As  the  young  military  genius  had  declared,  this 
fort  was  the  key  to  the  whole  situation,  and  the 
ships  were  forced  to  retire  and  Toulon  surrendered. 
My  part  in  the  victory  brought  me  words  of  recog- 
nition from  the  leader  and  a  Sub-lieutenancy. 

However,  the  pleasure  I  felt  at  my  promotion 
was  short-lived.  Bitterness  and  wrath  took  its 
place  as  I  was  compelled  to  witness  the  awful 
vengeance  the  army  was  ordered  to  take  on  those 
who  had  so  bravely  resisted  it.  The  defenders  of 
Toulon,  yes,  and  even  non-combatants  and  women, 
were  killed  by  wholesale  butchery,  being  stood  up 
in  companies  to  be  shot,  or  being  bound  hand  and 
foot  and  drowned.  Honorable  soldiers  could  not 
be  relied  upon  to  do  this  work  of  massacre ;  but 
duly  authorized  bands  of  cut-throats  were  sent  out 
from  Paris  to  go  from  city  to  city,  butchering  all 
who  could  be  suspected  of  not  being  in  sympathy 
with  the  peculiar  variety  of  Liberty  they  repre- 
sented. I  was  sick  at  heart  at  the  report  and 
occasional  sight  of  such  worse  than  brutish  ferocity 
and  should  have  quit  the  army  just  then,  had  there 
been  any  way  of  safety  open  for  me.  I  was  some- 
what comforted,  however,  by  the  assurance  of 
several  older  men  that  the  end  of  the  French 
Terror  was  almost  at  hand,  and  that  then  the 
tables  would  be  turned  and  the  earth  rid  of  many 
monsters. 


A  ROMANCE  OF  HISTORY.  43 


The  most  important  result  of  the  victory  at 
Toulon  to  me  personally  was  the  favor  of  Bona- 
parte, now  General,  that  I  had  won  and  that  (little 
did  I  dream  of  it  then)  was  to  attach  me  to  him 
and  his  most  wonderful  fortunes  for  more  than  a 
score  of  years. 

The  citadel  at  Toulon  was  taken  December 
17th,  1793,  and  for  the  next  six  months  I  followed 
Bonaparte  from  point  to  point,  through  Southern 
France  and  Northern  Italy,  as  he  inspected  and 
strengthened  fortifications  and  armaments.  He 
then  went  to  Paris  to  push  his  fortunes  at  the 
fountain-head  of  power,  and  I  followed  a  soldier's 
lot  under  several  commanders  for  a  year  more 
before  I  again  saw  my  predestined  military  chief. 
During  the  year  1794  the  fires  of  Patriotism 
burned  with  a  brilliant  flame,  especially  in  the 
armies  of  France,  and  notable  victories  were  won 
on  every  frontier  over  the  old  feudal  foes. 

During  this  time  I  served  my  apprenticeship  in 
the  hard  trade  of  War,  so  that  when  I  returned  to 
Paris  in  the  summer  of  1795  it  was  as  the  exper- 
ienced soldier  and  officer  of  recognized  standing, 
fearing  the  ravings  of  the  mob  as  little  as  I  feared 
the  howling  of  the  storm.  Whether  this  was 
poetic  justice  or  not  I  do  not  know,  but  it  was  at 
least  a  fact  that  I  was  one  of  General  Bonaparte's 
trusted  aids  on  that  memorable  Fifth  of  October, 


44  UNDER  TWO  CAPTAINS, 


when  the  fiery  scourge  of  grape  shot,  falling  merci- 
lessly upon  the'u,  taught  the  rabble  the  great 
lesson  of  respect  for  the  powers  that  be. 

As  there  was  a  brief  lull  in  the  storm  of  war,  I 
spent  the  winter  of  1795-96  in  Paris,  becoming 
acquainted  with  the  city  and  learning  something 
of  the  winds  and  currents  of  influence  that  exert  so 
mighty  a  power  over  the  lives  of  men.  And  this 
was  a  notable  winter  in  Paris,  one  of  the  gayest 
that  even  gay  Paris  had  as  yet  known.  Neverthe- 
less it  was  a  strange  and  often  an  unhallowed 
gaiety,  akin  to  the  nervous  bravado  of  a  man  just 
reprieved  from  the  scaffold.  By  way  of  re-action 
from  the  long  night  of  dread  from  which  they  had 
hardly  emerged  the  Parisians  now  gave  themselves 
up  to  all  manner  of  gaiety  and  indulgence.  Strange 
as  it  may  seem,  even  those  who  had  been  robbed  of 
their  nearest  and  dearest  by  the  guillotine  joined 
in  the  merriment,  yes,  mingled  freely  with  those 
who  had  hurried  the  loved  ones  to  a  cruel  death. 

It  was  with  mixed  feelings  that  I  took  my  place 
in  this  strange  society  of  Revolutionary  Paris. 
While  enjoying  life  with  all  the  vigor  and  spirit  of 
youth,  I  can  say  that  neither  at  this  time  nor  after- 
wards amid  the  unceasing  temptations  of  camp 
and  of  court  did  I  ever  forget  my  Christian  pro- 
fession or  dishonor  it  as  much  as  by  an  oath.  Yet 
not  I,  but  Christ  who  strengthened  me. 


CHAPTER  IV. 
MARS   IN   THE   ASCENDENCY. 


WITH  the  appointment  of  General  Bonaparte  to 
the  command  of  the  Army  of  Italy  his  military 
genius  may  be  said  to  have  been  fully  revealed  to 
the  world,  and  his  career  of  military  glory  to  have 
been  begun. 

Nothing   happens   in  this  universe  without  its 
adequate  cause,   and  so  it  was  with  the  glory  of 
Napoleon,  which  for  the  next  twenty  years  lit  up 
the  skies  of  Europe  and  indeed  of  the  whole  civilized 
world  with   its  mighty  illumination.     Victory  fol- 
lowed victory  in  this  campaign,  but  these  came  not 
by  accident  nor  yet  by   "Destiny."     There  were 
forces  of  tireless  energy  in  the  man  that  far  surpassed 
the  average  powers  of  human  endurance,  and  these 
made   possible   the   acquisition    of  vast   stores  of 
knowledge  in  all  the  fields  of  activity  which  he 
entered.     "Labor,"   said   Napoleon,    "is   my  ele- 
ment.    I  have  found  the  limit  of  my  strength  in 
eye  and  limb  ;  I  have  never  found  the  limit  of  my 
capacity  for  work." 

Not  only  did  Napoleon  know  the  Science  of 
War  as  a  master,  but  he  also  knew  the  conditions, 
geographical,  political  and  social  of  the  lands  and 


46  UNDER   TWO   CAPTAINS, 

people  with  which  he  came  in  contact.  Moreover 
he  knew  these  pivotal  facts,  not  after  years  of  dear- 
bought  experience  and  reflection  had  forced  them 
upon  him,  but  at  the  time  when  the  knowledge 
meant  almost  unlimited  power,  viz.,  when  it  was 
needed.  Finally  he  understood  in  many  of  its 
secret  workings  that  which  is  the  most  important 
factor  of  all  in  the  great  game  of  Life — the  human 
heart.  Especially  did  he  know  to  touch  with  a 
master  hand  the  chords  of  the  heart  of  the  French 
people.  In  witness  of  this  fact  let  his  Proclama- 
tion to  the  Army  of  Italy  speak.  "  Soldiers,  you 
are  naked  and  badly  fed  ;  the  government  owes  you 
much  and  can  give  you  nothing.  Your  patience 
and  the  courage  you  have  exhibited  amid  these 
rocks  are  worthy  of  admiration  ;  but  you  gain  no 
fame,  no  glory  falls  upon  you  here.  I  will  lead 
you  into  the  fertile  plains  of  the  world,  rich  prov- 
inces and  large  cities  will  fall  into  your  power  ; 
there  you  will  find  honor,  fame  and  abundance. 
Soldiers  of  Italy,  would  you  fail  in  courage  and 


perseverance 


?" 


Two  mighty  springs  of  human  activity  are  here 
laid  bare.  These  are  the  love  of  Glory  and  the 
love  of  Gain,  and  they  are  the  forces  that  move  the 
millions.  The  love  of  Gain,  the  unholy  desire  for 
the  lands  and  treasures  of  others,  this  has  ever  been 
the  all-controlling  motive  that  has  led  men  to  fly 


A   ROMANCE  OF  HISTORY.  47 


at  one  another,  weapons  in  hand.  This  motive  in- 
fluenced many  who  served  under  Napoleon ;  yet, 
after  all,  it  was  the  other  incentive  that  swayed 
the  most.  With  a  skill  that  must  have  been  given 
by  the  Prince  of  this  world  himself.  Napoleon 
sounded  the  note.  Glory,  and  it  found  an  instan- 
taneous answer  in  the  spirit  of  the  people.  Not 
only  were  the  soldiers  carried  away  by  his  phantasm 
of  Glory,  but  it  swept  before  it  the  whole  people  in 
one  mad  rush  to  ruin.  What  its  effect  was,  as  used 
by  Napoleon  upon  the  armies  and  people  of  France, 
let  twenty  years  of  almost  incessant  war  and  the 
sacrifices  in  battle  or  by  disease  or  famine  of  three 
million  of  France's  bravest  sons  answer. 

But  to  return  to  the  Army  of  Italy.  The  victo- 
ries promised  by  Napoleon  were  speedily  won,  and 
Piedmont  was  conquered  and  the  way  opened  for 
advantageous  peace  with  the  petty  kingdoms  and 
states  of  Italy  and  also  for  the  struggle  with  the 
world-power,  Austria,  now  arousing  herself  for 
the  fiery  ordeal  of  battle. 

Time  does  not  permit  me  to  trace  the  events  of 
the  seemingly  unequal  struggle  between  the  youth- 
ful General  Bonaparte  with  his  small  army  and  the 
veteran  Austrian  Generals,  Wurmser  and  Alvinzi, 
commanding  large  armies,  or  to  show  how  by  the 
almost  superhuman  vigor  and  celerity  of  the  French 
Caesar  the  tide  of  war  was  made  to  flow  most  ruin- 


48  UNDER    TWO    CAPTAINS, 


ously  against  tlie  armies  of  Austria.  That  victory 
did  not  flow  of  itself  to  the  standards  of  Napoleon, 
let  the  defeat  of  the  French  in  the  Tyrol  and  before 
the  heights  of  Caldiero  testify,  and  also  the  three 
days'  desperate  struggle  that  ended  in  the  victory 
of  Areola,  only  when  Bonaparte  himself  snatched 
the  banner  of  a  retreating  regiment  and  rushed  with 
it  across  the  bridge  swept  by  the  fire  of  the  Aus- 
triaus. 

It  would  be  of  interest  could  I  tell  you  of  the 
conqueror's  first  essay  at  the  role  of  statesman  when 
in  Milan  he  held  court  and  by  diplomacy  or,  it 
might  be,  by  his  ipse  dixit^  fashioned  new  republics 
on  the  French  model  out  of  the  eld  feudal  and 
aristocratic  domains.  Not  entirely  lacking  in 
interest  was  the  young  French  Alexander's 
pilgrimage,  if  not  to  the  shrine  of  Jupiter,  at  least 
to  the  Eternal  City  and  to  his  spiritual  father,  the 
Pope,  On  this  delightful  occasion  the  latter 
worthy  was  persuaded  to  hand  over  several 
important  cities,  30,000,000  frances  and  certain 
treasures  of  Art  for  the  benefit  of  needy  France. 

I  might  state  here  in  passing  that  the  only 
booty  I  ever  took  in  war,  except  for  the  needs  of 
the  hour,  was  the  sword  of  Sobieski,  Poland's 
hero-king,  which  I  found  at  Loretto  and  afterward 
gave  to  Poland's  last  hero,  Kosciusko. 

In  April,  1797  the  preliminaries  of  peace  between 


A   ROMANCE  OF  HISTORY.  49 


France  and  Austria  were  settled  and  the  victor 
returned  to  Milan,  to  his  loved  wife  and  to  the 
court  he  had  there  established,  to  rest  from  his 
labors  and  to  harvest  their  fruits.  A  grand 
reception  was  tendered  Napoleon  by  the  aristocracy 
of  Italy  in  the  Palace  Serbelloni,  and  a  few  days 
later  he  removed  with  his  retinue  and  following 
to  the  Castle  of  Montebello.  Here  in  the  midst  of 
beautiful  scenery  and  stately  surroundings  the 
conqueror  held  court,  moulded  provinces  and  even 
kingdoms  to  his  will  and  planned  for  the  wonderful 
Future  that  he  now  realized  was  to  be  his. 

You  whose  lives  have  been  spent  in  this  land  of 
Democracy  have  no  conception  of  the  feeling  akin 
to  reverence  that  the  average  European  of  last 
century  cherished  toward  people  of  rank.  This 
feeling  being  considered,  it  was  truly  a  matter  for 
astonishment  to  note  the  throng  that  gathered 
week  after  week  at  Montebello  to  do  honor  to 
General  Bonaparte,  the  plain  man  of  the  people. 
Ambassadors  and  nobles  of  the  highest  rank,  with 
their  ladies,  hastened  to  court  the  favor  of  the  m.an 
who  but  a  few  short  years  before  had  been 
ridiculed  as  possessing  nothing  but  a  hat  and  a 
sword.  Men  of  intellect  even,  philosophers,  poets 
and  artists,  whom  Bonaparte  invited  and  urged  to 
come  as  his  guests,  showed  themselves  ill  at  ease 
on  first  meeting  the  man  whose  trade  was  War. 
4 


50  UNDER   TWO   CAPTAINS. 


Surely,  it  would  seem,  it  is  the  mailed  hand  that 
rules  the  world. 

All  this  homage  was  very  sweet  to  Bonaparte 
and  his  gracious  wife,  the  I^ady  Josephine.  Each 
of  them  had  tasted  the  bitter  cup  of  Distress,  but 
now  it  was  theirs  to  enjoy  together  the  nectar  and 
ambrosia  of  Success.  Both  were  still  young 
enough  and  free  enough  from  the  pessimism  that 
time  was  to  bring  to  enter  fully  into  the  joy  of 
their  first  great  triumph.  As  a  trusted  and  favored 
aid  of  the  General's  and  member  of  his  household 
I  shared  in  these  triumphal  days,  and  they  still 
light  up  the  chambers  of  Memory  with  their 
pleasing  radiance. 

After  three  months  of  almost  endless  festivity, 
reaching  its  climax  in  the  magnificent  fetes  in 
Venice  gotten  up  in  honor  of  the  gracious  wife  of 
the  mighty  soldier,  there  was  an  abrupt  conclu- 
sion to  it  all  in  the  settlement  of  the  Peace  of 
Campo  Formio.  Bonaparte,  wearying  of  the  pro- 
crastinating policy  of  Austria,  cut  the  Gordian 
knot  in  a  most  unlooked-for  way.  One  day  at  a 
dinner  party,  snatching  up  a  costly  porcelain  cup 
belonging  to  a  set  given  his  host,  the  Count  von 
Coblentz,  by  the  Empress  Catharine,  he  dashed 
it  to  the  floor  and  exclaimed  in  tones  of  passion  : 
'  In  fourteen  days  I  will  dash  to  pieces  the 
Austrian  monarchy  as  I  now  break  this.' 


A  ROMANCE  OF  HISTORY.  51 


Such  masterful  conduct  brought  about  the  de- 
sired result  and  the  next  day  the  Austrian  diplo- 
mats signed  the  treaty  of  peace,  Austria  being  given 
the  Queen  City,  Venice,  while  France  was  made 
mistress  of  the  Rhine  and  felt  that  she  had 
crowned   herself  with   the  laurels  of  victory. 

But  France  was  not  satisfied  with  seeing  the 
laurel  wreath  on  her  own  head ;  she  found  a 
greater  joy  in  crowning  her  hero.  So  it  was  that 
on  Bonaparte's  return  to  Paris  the  very  street  on 
which  his  home  was  situated  was  re-named  "  Street 
of  Victory."  Moreover,  the  unpretentious  house 
that  he  called  home  must  be  re-built  on  a  grand 
scale  that  it  might  meet  the  requirements  of  a  pub- 
lic character  and  accommodate  those  who  crowded 
to  do  him  honor.  But  even  this  did  not  satisfy  the 
hero-worshiping  people,  and  a  great  festival  must 
be  devised  at  which  the  multitude  could  do  rever- 
ence to  their  demi-god.  Accordingly  the  Directory 
accorded  to  Bonaparte  a  magnificent  reception  at 
the  Palace  of  the  Luxemburg.  In  the  great  court 
before  the  Palace  a  towering  platform  was  erected 
and  ornamented  with  huge  statues  of  Freedom, 
Equality  and  Peace.  Around  this  fane  extended 
another  platform,  furnished  with  seats  for  the 
National  Assembly,  the  Five  Directors  and  other 
dignitaries  and  decorated  with  the  banners  cap- 
tured in  the  Italian  war. 


52  UNDER    TWO    CAPTAINS, 

The  central  figure  in  all  this  pomp  appeared  in  a 
manner  befitting  the  soldier — clad  in  the  plain 
uniform  that  he  had  worn  on  the  field  of  battle  and 
quietly  listening  to  the  long  orations  of  fulsome 
praise  directed  at  him  by  the  perfidious  Talleyrand 
and  the  envious  Barras. 

It  soon  became  evident  that  France  was  not 
large  enough  to  hold  at  the  same  time  the  Direc- 
tory and  the  hero  of  the  people,  so  various  efforts 
were  made  to  induce  the  conqueror  to  betake  him- 
self beyond  the  borders.  Finally  an  Egyptian 
expedition  of  conquest  was  suggested,  and  this  plan 
just  fitted  in  with  certain  wild  dreams  of  Oriental 
empire  that  Bonaparte  had  been  cherishing  for 
years.  Off"  he  went  then  to  out-Alexander  Alexan- 
der and  to  demonstrate  anew  the  truth  of  the  old 
saying,  "Whom  the  gods  would  destroy  they  first 
make  mad."  We  know  what  the  outcome  of  such 
an  expedition  was  destined  to  be,  for  we  know  by 
the  light  of  the  truth  that  has  been  given  us  how 
pitiable  is  the  folly  of  even  the  greatest  man  who 
presumes,  like  a  Nebuchadnezzar,  to  rule  and  boast 
himself  upon  earth  as  Almighty  God. 

It  went  with  the  Egyptian  expedition  and  its 
leader  as  the  sober-minded  few  had  foreseen.  At 
first  there  was  the  victory  of  the  discipline  and  arms 
of  the  West  over  the  untaught  valor  of  the  East, 
but  afterwards  came  the  bitter  defeat  at  Acre  and 


A  ROMANCE  OF  HISTORY.  53 


the  necessity  of  the  leader's  return  home  on  a  pre- 
text. 

Much  was  written  and  spoken  at  the  time  of  the 
Conquest  of  Egypt,  but,  according  to  my  humble 
judgment,  this  notable  event  in  the  World's  history 
is  to  be  estimated  as  of  equal  value  with  its  later 
companion-piece,  the  Destruction  of  Moscow.  As 
I  was  not  one  of  Bonapartes  confidants  and  com- 
panions in  his  hasty  departure  from  Egypt,  but 
had  some  months  more  of  hard  service  against  the 
fierce  hordes  of  the  desert,  I  may  not  be  strictly 
impartial  just  here  in  my  estimate  of  his  Oriental 
conquests.  This  much,  however,  I  gained  from 
the  experience  that,  when  some  years  later  on  the 
retreat  from  Moscow  I  nearly  perished  from  the 
cold,  I  could  in  imagination  see  myself  sweltering 
in  the  blistering  sands  of  Egypt. 

But  to  return  to  my  Captain.  It  was  the  con- 
sideration of  his  own  interests  that  sent  Napoleon 
hurrying  back  to  France  ;  yet  it  was  a  fact  that 
France  needed  him  or  some  other  of  his  spirit. 
The  ship  of  state  was  tossing  in  troubled  waters 
and  a  strong  hand  was  needed  at  the  helm.  In 
Italy  the  armies  of  Austria  and  Russia  had  swept 
all  before  them  and  French  dominion  and  French 
prestige  were  in  that  land  things  of  the  past.  In 
France  itself  matters  were  in  great  confusion  and 
the  well-meaning  part  of  the  population  in  great 


54  UNDER   TWO   CAPTAINS, 

distress.  The  nation  was  split  into  factions,  the 
party  of  moderation  being  ground  between  the 
upper  millstone  of  the  unrelenting  royalist  con- 
spirators and  the  nether  one  of  the  red  republicans 
whose  whole  aim  and  endeavor  was  the  restoration 
of  the  bloody  rule  of  the  Terror.  Patriotism  hardly 
existed  except  as  a  name,  and  grasping  party  spirit 
was  all-powerful  throughout  the  land,  bringing 
civil  war  and  anarchy  in  its  train.  A  strong  per- 
sonality was  sorely  needed  just  then  in  the  arena 
of  French  political  life,  and  when  Bonaparte 
stepped  upon  French  soil,  preceded  as  he  had 
been  by  reports  of  his  Egyptian  victories,  Aboukir 
and  Tabor,  the  great  majority  of  the  people  bade 
him  a  most  hearty  welcome. 

However,  enemies  who  were  at  once  powerful 
and  bitter  were  not  lacking  to  Napoleon.  But 
forewarned  is  fore-armed,  and  here  a  faithful  wife 
stood  as  a  shield  beween  Napoleon  and  hidden  dan- 
ger. Josephine  had  womanly  tact  as  it  has  been 
given  to  but  few,  and  she  used  her  talent  to  the 
utmost,  mingling  every  day  with  people  of  influ- 
ence and  even  with  those  whom  she  knew  to  be 
her  husband's  enemies.  The  general  drift  of  the 
political  world  and  especially  the  disposition  of  this 
one  or  that  one  in  the  place  of  power  toward  Napo- 
leon she  recorded  day  after  day  through  many 
months  in  a  diary.      This   she   handed   her  loved. 


A  ROMANCE  OF  HISTORY.  55 


one  on  his  return,  that  he  might  know  and  utilize 
all  that  could  be  known  in  the  strange  realm  of  the 
thoughts  and  passions  of  men. 

The  Directory  had  not  failed  to  note  the  enthu- 
siasm of  the  people  over  the  very  name  of  Bona- 
parte, and  knew  with  the  instinct  of  politicians 
that,  unless  something  could  be  done  to  check 
this  growing  ascendancy,  their  day  of  power  was 
at  an  end.  They  resolved  accordingly  to  arrest 
Bonaparte  on  the  charge  of  conspiracy  to  destroy 
the  government,  and  arranged  that  the  arrest 
should  take  place  the  next  day,  as  he  was  return- 
ing to  Paris  from  his  chateau  of  Malmaison. 

But  this  plot  was  thwarted  by  an  unexpected 
hand.  The  next  day  the  ever-watchful  Josephine 
was  attending  a  party  in  Paris  and  overheard  a 
gentleman  tell  his  friend  that  he  surmised,  from 
something  told  him,  that  some  influential  person 
was  that  evening  to  be  arrested.  Excusing  her- 
self at  the  earliest  possible  moment,  Josephine 
drove  with  all  speed  to  the  commanding  officer  of 
the  Directory  guards,  who  was  a  warm  friend  of 
Bonaparte's,  and  requested  that  a  company  of 
grenadiers  be  sent  at  once  to  Malmaison.  The 
soldiers  were  promptly  sent  and  the  danger 
averted,  more  especially  as  the  Directory  learned 
through  spies  who  shadowed  Josephine  that  their 
plot   was   discovered.     By  way   of  throwing  dust 


66  UNDER    TWO    CAPTAINS, 

into  people's  eyes  the  Directors  had  an  arrest  made 
at  the  appointed  time — that  of  a  rich  German  mer- 
chant then  residing  in  Paris,  whom  they  charged 
with  plotting  with  the  enemies  of  France. 

The  fair  words  of  the  Directors  counted  for 
nothing  at  all  with  Napoleon,  for  he  realized  the 
situation  to  a  hair's  breadth.  "  Everyone,"  he  said 
to  his  brother  Joseph,  "desires  a  more  central 
government.  Our  dreams  of  a  republic  are  the 
illusions  of  youth.  To-day  the  people  are  turning 
their  hopes  toward  me  ;  to-morrow  it  will  be  to- 
ward someone  else."  But  Napoleon  was  not  in  the 
habit  of  waiting  for  to-morrow.  With  him  to 
resolve  was  to  act.  On  the  eighteenth  of  that 
same  month,  Brumaire,  then  he  gave  a  great  break- 
fast to  those  whom  he  counted  his  friends,  and 
especially  to  the  army  oflScers  of  rank.  While  the 
guests  were  gathering,  a  friend  of  Napoleon's  in 
the  Council  of  the  Elders  made  this  motion  :  "  In 
consideration  of  the  intense  political  excitement 
which  prevails  in  Paris,  it  is  necessary  to  remove 
the  sessions  to  St.  Cloud,  and  to  give  to  General 
Bonaparte  the  supreme  command  of  the  troops." 

After  an  exciting  debate  this  motion  prevailed 
and  was  reported  to  Napoleon.  He  saw  that  the 
hour  of  Destiny  had  come  (with  some  little  help 
on  his  part)  and,  telling  his  company  that  at  last 
the  moment  had  arrived  to  give  France  peace  and 


A   ROMANCE  OF  HISTORY.  57 


rest,  and  that  he  would  do  this,  called  them  to 
follow  him.  Supported  then  by  a  brilliant  follow- 
ing. Napoleon  made  his  way  to  the  Council  of  the 
Elders,  to  express  his  thanks  for  the  honor  shown 
him  and  to  swear  to  safeguard  the  country's 
liberty.  The  troops  were  then  reviewed  at  the 
Tuilleries  and  some  of  them  stationed  about  both 
the  Luxemburg,  the  former  place  of  session,  and 
St.  Cloud,  whither  both  the  Deputies  and  the 
Elders  had  adjourned.  After  vainly  protesting 
against  a  situation  that  they  were  powerless  to 
alter,  three  of  the  Directors  resigned. 

But  the  liberties  of  a  nation  were  not  to  be  over- 
thrown quite  so  easily,  and  the  next  day,  the  19th 
Brumaire,  was  to  be  the  true  Day  of  Fate.  The 
Five  Hundred  assembled  in  their  new  quarters  at 
St.  Cloud  and  entered  most  earnestly  upon  the 
discussion  of  what  was  to  be  done  in  view  of  the 
resignation  of  the  Directory.  Just  when  the  argu- 
ment was  at  its  height,  who  should  appear  in  their 
assembly  but  Napoleon?  Immediately  there  fol- 
lowed a  most  memorable  scene.  Napoleon  met 
the  first  reproaches  of  the  Deputies  with  the 
boastful  threat:  "Remember  I  walk  with  the 
goddess  of  Fortune,  accompanied  by  the  god  of 
War,"  but  was  silenced  by  the  cries  of  "Traitor," 
"Cromwell,"  and  a  perfect  torrent  of  bitter  accu- 
sations.    Vainly  he  protested  his  loyalty  to  France 


58  UNDER   TWO   CAPTAINS, 

and  to  the  Constitution  ;  he  was  overwhelmed  by 
the  volume  of  invective  and  derision  hurled  at 
him  and  became  completely  bewildered.  Sud- 
denly he  turned  from  his  accusers  and  made  for 
the  door,  exclaiming  :  "  Who  loves  me,  let  him 
follow  me."  Then,  strange  to  tell,  history  re- 
peated itself  and  this  modern  Csesar  actually 
fainted  into  the  arms  of  his  friends.  Well  says  the 
master-poet : 

"  He  had  a  fever  when  he  was  in  Spain, 
And,  when  the  fit  was  on  him,  I  did  mark 
That  he  did  shake;    'tis  true,  this  god  did  shake; 
His  coward  lips  did  from  their  color  fly  ; 
And  that  same  eye,  whose  bend  doth  awe  the  world, 
Did  lose  his  lustre.     I  did  hear  him  groan; 
Ay,  and  that  tongue  of  his,  that  bade  the  Romans 
Mark  him,  and  write  his  speeches  in  their  books, 
Alas,  it  cried,  Give  me  some  drink,  Titinius." 

But  one  repulse,  however  sharp,  did  not  mean 
defeat  to  a  seasoned  soldier  like  Napoleon.  At 
the  end  of  half  an  hour  he  re-entered  the  hall, 
surrounded  by  his  officers,  to  face  his  accusers  and 
give  them  a  hint  of  the  operation  of  the  Law 
of  Might.  By  this  time  Lucien  Bonaparte,  who 
was  President  of  the  Five  Hundred,  had  been 
fairly  forced  from  his  seat  for  shielding  his  brother 
in  his  unlawful  course  and  for  refusing  to  declare 
him  an  outlaw.     But  Napoleon  was  equally  mind- 


A  ROMANCE  OF  HISTORY.  59 


ful  of  his  statesman  brother,  and  sent  a  company 
of  grenadiers  into  the  hall  to  deliver  him  from  his 
evil  plight.  Nor  was  Lucien  tardy  in  taking  up 
his  role.  Turning  to  the  troops,  he  ordered  them 
to  protect  the  President  of  the  Five  Hundred,  to 
defend  the  Constitution  attacked  by  fanatics,  and 
to  obey  General  Bonaparte,  the  authorized  pro- 
tector of  the  Republic.  By  way  of  dramatic 
climax  to  this  scene  of  the  great  play  Lucien  drew 
his  sword  and,  turning  its  point  towards  Napo- 
leon's breast,  exclaimed  :  "I  swear  to  pierce  even 
my  brother's  heart,  if  he  ever  dares  touch  the 
liberty  of  France." 

These  words  fired  the  enthusiasm  of  the  soldiers 
and  with  hearty  good  will  they  obeyed  Napoleon's 
command  and  charged  into  the  hall,  driving  the 
Council  before  them  like  sheep.  Other  means 
than  force  were  not  despised;  money  was  used 
that  day  to  the  extent  of  more  than  one  million 
francs,  while  Lucien  gathered  a  "  Rump  Parlia- 
ment," once  more  assumed  the  presidential  chair, 
and  had  a  provisional  committee  chosen  to  con- 
sist of  three  members  to  be  known  as  Consuls. 
Napoleon  was  one  of  these,  while  the  other  two 
were  merely  figureheads,  who  fortunately  for 
themselves  realized  their  situation  and  remained 
passive. 

So  it  was  that  Napoleon  made  his  entrance  into 


60  UNDER    TWO   CAPTAINS, 

the  Luxemburg,  nominally  as  First  Consul,  but 
really  as  the  Dictator  of  France,  who  was  in  a  few 
weeks  to  make  his  triumphal  entry  into  the  Tuil- 
leries,  to  reign  there  under  one  or  another  title  as 
the  most  masterful  king  who  had  ever  trodden 
those  stately  palace  halls.  I  cannot  take  the  time 
to  tell  you  of  the  "republican  court"  that  was 
maintained  in  this  palace  with  ever  increasing 
splendor  ;  sufiicient  to  say,  it  was  the  days  of 
Montebello  lived  over  on  a  grander  scale. 

I  must  pass  on  to  tell  of  an  achievement  that 
was  characteristic  of  my  Captain,  and  that  added 
much  to  his  glory.  This  was  the  Second  Italian 
Campaign,  and  it  was  notable,  not  only  as  a  signal 
victory  over  great  armies,  but  even  more  as  a 
victory  over  the  forces  of  Nature. 

Napoleon  had  not  forgotten  the  French  reverses 
in  Italy,  and  early  in  May,  1800,  when  Winter 
still  held  the  mountain  passes  in  his  fetters  of  ice, 
the  Man  of  Destiny  rushed  an  army  southward, 
scaled  the  icy  barriers  and  hurled  his  human 
avalanche  down  upon  the  plains  of  Italy  and  upon 
his  astonished  foes.  The  decisive  victory  of 
Marengo,  June  14th,  was  the  outcome  of  this  ven- 
ture, and  again  the  Parisians  had  the  indescribable 
joy  of  welcoming  a  returning  conqueror. 

For  the  human  unit,  the  soldier,  there  was 
untold  hardship  in  this  brilliant  move.     You  will 


A  ROMANCE  OF  HISTORY.  61 


hardly  believe  me  when  I  tell  you  that  for  days 
those  of  us  who  formed  the  advance  guard  had  as 
our  only  food  the  inner  bark  of  trees. 

In  the  midst  of  this  hardship  occurred  one  of  the 
pleasantest  incidents  of  my  whole  career.  A  com- 
rade and  myself,  detailed  on  reconnoitring  duty, 
had  made  our  way  over  the  ice  well  up  into  the 
Pass  of  St.  Bernard.  Evening  had  come  on,  and 
after  several  days  of  the  hardest  service  with  the 
least  possible  rest  and  food,  both  we  and  our  horses 
were  about  ready  to  drop.  We  had  stopped  before 
a  solitary  house  to  ask  some  direction,  when  a 
sweet-faced  little  girl  stepped  out  on  the  porch  and 
invited  us  to  enter-  Her  father  then  appeared  and 
repeated  the  invitation,  so  we  dismounted,  put  up 
our  jaded  horses,  and  let  ourselves  be  persuaded  to 
spend  the  evening  and  finally  to  stay  until  morn- 
ing. We  enjoyed  most  keenly  those  hours  in  a 
well-ordered,  happy  home,  and  Napoleon  was 
served  none  the  worse,  for,  without  that  warm  food 
and  that  night's  rest,  we  could  not  have  kept  up 
under  the  hardships  of  the  next  days. 

The  victory  of  Marengo  brought  Napoleon  new 
fame,  but  this  in  turn  brought  him  the  deadly 
hatred  of  those  who  now  saw  their  own  plans  swept 
entirely  away  by  the  ijiighty  progress  of  his  career. 
Bourbon  and  Red  Republican  were  at  last  of  one 
mind,  for  they  agreed  in  hating  the  Corsican  usurp- 


62  UNDER   TWO    CAPTAINS, 

er.  One  plot  after  another  aiming  at  the  assassi- 
nation of  Napoleon  was  laid  bare  by  the  vigilant 
Parisian  police,  until  Josephine,  in  her  solicitude 
for  her  husband,  found  herself  living  in  an  atmos- 
phere of  terror.  All  things  mundane  have  an  end, 
and  so  there  came  an  end  to  these  plots,  and  a  very- 
unexpected  one  it  was. 

Hayden's  oratorio  of  Creation  was  to  be  given  at 
the  Grand  Opera,  and  all  fashionable  Paris  was 
hastening  that  way,  to  see  and  to  be  seen.  There 
was  company  for  dinner  that  evening  at  Napoleon's 
table,  and  his  party  was  accordingly  a  little  late  in 
starting.  A  slight  additional  delay  was  caused  by 
the  trifling  matter  of  the  arrangement  of  a  Per- 
sian shawl  on  Josephine's  shoulders.  General  Rapp 
insisting  that  it  was  not  becomingly  draped. 
Meanwhile  Napoleon  had  driven  off,  and  Josephine 
and  her  attendants  hastened  to  follow.  Their  car- 
riage had  just  reached  the  Place  de  Carrotisal  vihen 
the  whole  place  was  lit  up  as  by  the  glare  of 
lightning,  and  a  deafening  explosion  was  heard  ; 
while  the  glass  of  the  carriage  windows  was  blown 
in  upon  them,  cutting  Hortense  somewhat  seriously 
on  the  arm. 

Leaving  the  ladies,  Rapp  ran  ahead  to  learn  the 
fate  of  Napoleon.  The  Man  of  Destiny  was  found 
seated  quietly  in  his  box  scrutinizing  the  audience 
through   his    glass.     Fifteen   people   were    killed, 


A   ROMANCE   OF  HISTORY.  63 


thirty  severely  wounded  and  forty  houses  badly 
damaged  by  the  explosion  of  the  infernal  machine, 
and  great  indeed  was  the  indignation  of  the  French 
people  when  the  facts  of  this  diabolical  plot  came 
to  be  known. 

This  wave  of  popular  indignation  lifted  Bona- 
parte to  that  place  in  the  nation's  esteem  that  he 
saw  that  he  was  at  last  free  to  destroy  his  enemies. 
Accordingly  he  had  himself  empowered  "  to  re- 
move from  Paris  those  persons  whose  presence  the 
Consuls  considered  dangerous  to  the  public  secur- 
ity." On  the  strength  of  this  enactment  Napoleon 
brought  to  pass  the  execution  of  a  number  of  his 
most  bitter  enemies  and  the  banishment  to  a  living 
death  in  Cayenne  of  one  hundred  and  thirty  others 
who  were  suspected  of  dissatisfaction  toward  the 
administration. 

The  way  was  now  open  and  the  opportune 
moment  had  arrived  for  Napoleon  to  take  the  last 
step  in  his  dizzy  ascent — the  step  that  leads  to  the 
throne.  For  several  years  Napoleon  under  the 
title  of  First  Consul  had  enjoyed  all  the  power  of  a 
great  king,  even  to  holding  as  stately  a  court  as 
perhaps  any  in  Europe. 

To  be  sure,  the  most  discordant  elements  came, 
or  were  brought,  together  at  the  court  functions. 
Sometimes,  too,  the  one  who  should  have  been  the 
inspiring  centre  of  all  this  brilliant  life  showed  by 


64  UNDER    TWO    CAPTAINS, 

his  harshness  of  word  or  deed  that  he  was  after  all 
not  the  noble  born,  but  the  domineering  soldier. 
Yet  he  possessed  statecraft  in  a  high  degree  and 
well  understood  how  to  win  to  his  support  this 
Duke  or  that  Duchess  of  the  old  nobility  who  had 
learned  in  the  hard  school  of  exile  and  poverty  to 
bow  gracefully  to  the  inevitable.  Then  too  not  a 
few  of  Napoleon's  generals,  most  of  them  men  of 
the  people  like  himself,  had  found  their  wives 
from  among  the  high-bred  daughters  of  the  old 
regime.  Finally,  and  most  all,  the  never-failing 
popularity  of  Josephine  was  to  be  thanked  for  the 
large  measure  of  success  that  attended  the  recep- 
tions of  the  new  Caesar. 

At  last  "  the  pear  was  ripe,"  to  quote  a  favorite 
expression  of  Napoleon's,  and  on  the  i8th  of 
May,  1804,  the  Senate  formally  made  tender  of  the 
throne  to  Napoleon  and  he  graciously  allowed  him- 
self to  be  announced  as  First  Emperor  of  the 
French.  This  act  was  later  ratified  by  the  popular 
vote,  five  millions  of  Frenchmen  thus  speaking 
through  the  ballot  and  making  the  imperial  dignity 
hereditary  in  Napoleon's  family. 

The  imperial  couple  celebrated  the  occasion  by 
making  a  journey,  or  triumphal  progress,  to  the 
Rhine  provinces  lately  annexed  to  France.  At 
Aix-la-Chapelle,  at  the  tomb  of  Charlemagne,  a 
pleasing  miracle  was  wrought  under  direction  of 


A   ROMANCE  OF  HISTORY.  65 


the  clergy  in  honor  of  Josephine.  In  the  treasury 
of  the  Cathedral  there  was  a  gold  casket  full  of  the 
most  precious  relics  ;  but  it  had  never  been  opened 
and  no  key  had  ever  been  found  for  its  lock.  As  a 
great  and  special  favor  this  casket  was  laid  in  the 
hand  of  Josephine.  Presto!  a  miracle  !  At  the  gentle 
touch  of  Napoleon's  lady  the  casket  sprang  open, 
revealing  to  the  sight  the  most  precious  jewels 
and  among  them  the   seal-ring   of  Charlemagne. 

But  now  I  must  hasten  on  to  tell  you  in  a  few 
words  of  the  most  glorious  event  of  the  coronation. 
The  finishing  touch  to  the  splendor  of  the  new- 
made  Emperor  was  given  by  no  less  august  an 
hand  than  that  of  the  Pope.  Pius  VII.,  in  his  joy 
at  the  re-establishment  of  the  Roman  Church  in 
France  by  Napoleon's  command,  saw  fit  to  over- 
look the  former  despoiling  of  the  Papal  domains 
and  consented  to  make  the  journey  to  Paris  to 
formally  crown  his  new-found  friend. 

On  hearing  of  the  Pope's  approach,  Napoleon 
hastened  to  Fontainbleau  to  meet  him.  At  the 
sight  of  the  Emperor  the  Pope  alighted  from  his 
carriage,  while  Napoleon  dismounted  from  his 
horse  and  hastened  to  embrace  his  spiritual  father. 
The  delicate  question  of  precedence  was  gracefully 
disposed  of  by  each  of  the  dignitaries  entering  the 
carriage  at  the  same  time  from  opposite  sides. 

But  now  for  the  coronation  itself,  and  first  of  all, 


66  UNDER    TWO    CAPTAINS, 

what  were  the  costumes  ?  His  Holiness,  it  is  to  be 
supposed,  wore  his  best,  but  of  his  ecclesiastical 
millinery  I  do  not  have  the  faintest  recollection. 
For  the  great  event  Napoleon  laid  aside  his  usual 
plain  uniform  for  a  costume  befitting  the  last  of  the 
Caesars.  His  very  stockings  were  of  silk,  em- 
broidered with  gold  crowns  ;  his  shoes  were  of 
white  velvet,  worked  with  gold  ;  his  knee-breeches 
were  of  white  velvet,  worked  with  gold  and  with 
diamond  buttons  and  buckles  ;  the  vest  was  of 
white  velvet  with  diamond  buttons,  and  the  coat 
of  crimson  velvet  with  fastenings  of  white  and 
sparkling  with  gold  ;  the  mantle  was  of  the  same 
material  and  color  and  hung  over  his  left  shoulder, 
being  fastened  on  the  breast  with  diamond  clasps. 
He  wore  sleeves  and  collar  of  the  most  costly  lace, 
and  a  cap  of  black  velvet  adorned  with  plumes  and 
topped  with  a  coronet  of  diamonds.  His  imperial 
robes  he  donned  in  the  vestry  of  the  Cathedral. 

Josephine  wore  a  most  beautiful  robe  of  silver 
brocade  adorned  with  gold  bees  and  fringe  of  gold  ; 
her  shoulders  were  bare  and  on  her  arms  she  wore 
armlets  of  gold  set  with  diamonds.  A  gold  girdle 
set  with  thirty-nine  diamond  rosettes,  held  her 
dress.  Her  wealth  of  hair  was  encircled  by  a  mag- 
nificent diadem.  Like  Napoleon,  she  wore  in  the 
Cathedral  an  imj^erial  robe,  fastened  on  the  shoul- 
ders with  gold  buckles  and  diamond  clasps.    It  was 


A  ROMANCE  OF  HISTORY.  6T 


arranged  that  Napoleon's  brothers  should  carry  the 
train  of  his  mantle  and  his  sisters  that  of  Joseph- 
ine's. The  proud  and  jealous  sisters  of  the  em- 
peror rebelled  loudly  against  doing  Josephine  this 
honor,  but  were  coerced  by  the  unbending  will  of 
Napoleon. 

Before  leaving  for  the  ceremony  the  party  gath- 
ered in  the  palace  for  mutual  admiration.  To  all 
the  outpourings  of  congratulation  Napoleon  had 
only  one  word,  "Joseph,"  he  said,  "could  our 
father  see  us  now." 

You  have  read  of  the  ceremony  itself.  First, 
Napoleon  took  from  the  altar  the  crown  of  Charle- 
magne, and  with  steady  hand  put  it  on  his  head. 
Then  Josephine  left  her  throne  and  moved  toward 
the  altar,  followed  by  her  whole  suite.  Napoleon 
thereupon  took  the  small,  closed  crown,  sur- 
mounted by  a  cross,  put  it  first  on  his  own  head, 
and  then,  with  unusual  gentleness  and  grace,  placed 
it  on  the  head  of  Josephine. 

The  Pope  now,  with  his  retinue  of  prelates,  came 
and  stood  before  the  royal  pair  and  blessed  them  in 
Latin  with  these  words:  "God  establish  you  on 
this  throne,  and  Christ  make  you  reign  with  Him 
in  His  everlasting  kingdom."  He  then  kissed 
Napoleon  on  the  cheek  and,  turning  to  the  audi- 
ence, said  in  a  strong  voice,  "  Vivat  imperator  in 
ceternumy 


68  UNDER    TWO    CAPTAINS. 


Notre  Dame  now  re-echoed  to  the  shout  of  the 
joyous  thousands  and  to  the  music  of  bands.  A 
little  later  the  Pope  intoned  the  Te  Deum,  which 
was  then  rendered  by  select  choirs  and  orchestras. 
After  this  Napoleon  took  the  oath  and  a  herald  an- 
nounced the  fact  of  the  coronation.  Volleys  of 
artillery  now  thundered  out  the  news  to  Paris  and 
its  environs,  while  a  gigantic  balloon,  finished  off 
with  a  huge  gilt  crown,  rose  into  the  air  and  sped 
away  to  tell  France  and  perchance  Europe  that  a 
new  star  of  empire  had  appeared  in  the  skies.  The 
balloon  was  seen  by  myriads,  yet  no  one  could  tell 
what  had  been  its  fate.  Napoleon  in  particular 
was  concerned  to  know  this,  and  finally  after  some 
weeks,  he  received  an  answer.  The  balloon  had 
fallen  in  Rome,  upon  the  grave  of  Nero. 


CHAPTER  V. 
A   MIGHTY   PERSONALITY. 

XiyHERE  in  the  Temple  of  Fame  sliall  Napo- 
leon's portrait  be  placed  ? 

Which  is  the  true  Napoleon,  or  which  is  the  true 
likeness,  that  of  the  demi-god  or  that  of  the  great 
adventurer  ? 

Shall  he  be  judged  by  things  outward,  by  his 
deeds  and  the  great  changes  in  the  lives  of  mill- 
ions, that  in  the  providence  of  God  followed  these, 
or  by  things  inward,  by  the  motions  of  his  spirit  as 
far  as  these  can  be  clearly  known  ? 

We  are  accustomed  to  think  and  speak  of  the 
certainty  of  facts,  and  yet  the  man  who  played  the 
great  game  of  life  so  skillfully  for  the  most  part 
tells  us  how  unreliable  are  events,  all  depending  at 
times  upon  one  incident,  hanging,  as  it  were,  by 
one  hair. 

What  then  are  the  elements  of  greatness,  and 
what  those  of  weakness  as  found  in  the  man  him- 
self, even  in  the  soul,  which  is  the  true  man? 
These  elements  are  most  closely  and  strangely 
blended,  like  the  threads  in  some  great  tapestry, 
the  light  seemingly  growing  out  of  the  dark  and 
the  reverse. 


TO  UNDER   TWO   CAPTAINS, 

As  I  have  said,  part  at  least  of  Napoleon's  great- 
ness can  be  found  in  his  genius  for  hard  work. 
The  ability  to  work  hard  and  the  keen  judgment 
that  guided  him  in  bestowing  his  labor  where  it 
would  count  for  the  most — these  were  prime  fac- 
tors  in  the  greatness  to  which  this  man  attained. 

"  I  am  always  working,"  he  says ;  "  I  think 
much.  If  I  appear  always  ready  to  meet  every 
emergency,  to  confront  every  problem,  it  is  because 
before  undertaking  any  enterprise  I  have  long  con- 
sidered it,  and  have  thus  foreseen  what  could  pos- 
sibly occur.  It  is  no  genius  which  suddenly, 
secretly  reveals  to  me  what  I  have  to  say  or  do  in 
some  circumstances  unforeseen  by  others  ;  it  is  my 
own  meditation  and  reflection.  I  am  always 
working — when  dining,  when  at  the  theatre ;  I 
wake  at  night  in  order  to  work." 

The  powers  of  endurance  and  of  application  that 
Napoleon  possessed  are  simply  beyond  belief.  In 
this  respect  he  was  not  a  vivacious  Frenchman, 
nor  yet  the  passionate  Italian  ;  he  was  the  old 
Roman,  the  man  of  iron,  lacking  at  once  the  finer 
organization  and  the  weakness  of  this  later  genera- 
tion. 

Napoleon  was  the  indispensible  man  of  his  age. 
Though  enjoying  good  educational  advantages  in 
the  military  school  of  Brienne  and  in  the  greater 
school  of  Life,  he  showed  such  originality  in  his 


A   ROMANCE  OF  HISTORY.  71 


movements,  especially  in  war,  that  he  must  be  con- 
ceded to  be  a  self-made  man.  Great  as  was  his 
genius,  it  was  fairly  slow  in  maturing,  and  it 
remains  an  open  question  as  to  whether  or  not  it 
began  to  fail  some  years  before  his  early  death- 
Certain  it  is  that  during  the  years  of  his  earliest 
manhood  he  gave  much  time  to  idle  dreams,  while 
the  scope  of  his  plans  for  a  career  was  limited  by 
the  boundaries  of  the  Island  of  Corsica.  When, 
however,  his  genius  came,  it  came  apparently  like 
Minerva,  full-grown  ;  so  that  even  now,  being 
dead,  he  rules  France  and  much  of  Europe 
besides,  through  the  institutions  that  he  founded. 

He  had  "  To  Destiny  "  engraved  in  the  ring  with 
which  he  wedded  Josephine,  and  he  tried  to  per- 
suade others  and  himself  at  times  that  he  was  the 
Man  of  Destiny.  This  then  was  the  role  that  he 
attempted  to  carry  through  before  the  audience  of 
the  world.  But  even  Homer  sometimes  nods,  and 
even  Napoleon  sometimes  forgot  his  part  and 
showed  himself  the  cool  calculator.  It  was  from 
Italy  that  he  wrote:  "Great  events  depend  upon 
but  a  single  hair.  The  adroit  man  profits  by  every- 
thing, neglects  nothing  which  can  increase  his 
chances  ;  the  less  adroit,  by  sometimes  disregarding 
a  single  chance,  fails  in  everything." 

The  man  who  considers  himself  above  giving  his 
precious  time  to  details,  had  no  example  set  him 


72  UNDER    TWO    CAPTAINS, 

by  Napoleon,  for  no  point  in  the  equipment  of  his 
soldiers  or  in  the  civil  administration  was  too  small 
to  attract  and  hold  his  attention. 

"Fortune,"  he  once  said,"  is  a  woman;  the 
more  she  does  for  me,  the  more  I  shall  exact  from 
her."  But  he  also  said  :  "  Determination  is  the 
highest  wisdom,"  and  his  greatness  was  found 
most  of  all  in  will-power. 

Intensity  of  application,  strength  of  intellect, 
force  of  will — these  may  be  named  as  the 
chief  factors  in  Napoleon's  greatness ;  what  was 
there  to  counter-balance  these  and  drag  him 
down  ? 

To  begin  with,  there  was  a  lack  of  moral  prin- 
ciple and  especially  of  the  fundamental  virtue  of 
truthfulness.  Many  of  his  official  letters,  and,  in 
particular,  his  war  bulletins  both  to  the  army  and 
to  the  nation,  were  as  complete  a  tissue  of  false- 
hood as  a  keen  and  unscrupulous  mind  could 
conceive  and  elaborate.  Humility  was  utterly 
lacking  in  Napoleon's  matured  nature,  for  he  not 
only  considered  himself  as  the  full  equivalent  of  a 
host  of  fifty  thousand  soldiers  on  the  field  of  battle, 
but  also  assumed  the  place  of  arbiter  of  the  desti- 
nies of  the  nations  of  the  earth.  The  wisdom 
found  in  the  apostolic  admonition,  "  Humble  your- 
selves therefore  under  the  mighty  hand  of  God," 
was  to  him  a  thing  unknown,  and  accordingly  he 


A   ROMANCE  OF  HISTORY.  It 


fell  under  the  judgment.  *'  Every  one  that  exalt- 
eth  himself  shall  be  abased." 

Most  of  all  Ivove,  at  least  in  its  purity  and  unsel- 
fishness, was  foreign  to  his  spirit.  He  could  love 
his  own  flesh  and  blood  and  richly  provide  for 
them,  but  this  was  only  instinct.  He  could  love 
Josephine  most  ardently,  but  passion  was  the  very 
essence  of  this  love,  and  it  could  not  stand  before 
the  claims  of  selfishness. 

He  certainly  did  not  have  the  reverent  love  for 
God  which  is  the  beginning  of  wisdom,  and  he  did 
not  know  what  it  meant  to  love  his  brother  man, 
or  he  could  not  have  thrust  millions  of  these  his 
fellows  into  death  either  by  violence  or  by  the  slow 
agony  of  disease  or  starvation  that  he  might  follow 
his  ambition  to  its  limit. 

To  what  extent  was  Napoleon  influenced  by 
others  ?  Very  little,  I  take  it,  by  any  one  except 
Josephine ;  but  considerably  by  her,  at  least  at 
times. 

And  what  was  the  personality  and  what  the 
influence  of  Josephine  ? 

This  woman  who  did  so  much  at  times  to  soften 
the  flinty  nature  of  Napoleon  was  not  generally 
considered  beautiful ;  yet  she  possessed  a  grace  and 
charm  all  her  own  that  made  her  loved  as  univer- 
sally as  her  husband  was  feared.  In  her  move- 
ments she  combined  rare  grace  with  a  dignity  that 


74  UNDER   TWO   CAPTAINS, 

readily  passed  into  majesty  of  bearing.  Her  fea- 
tures were  not  of  classic  regularity,  but  they 
became  truly  beautiful  when  lit  up  by  the  glow  of 
thought  or  feeling.  Her  eyes  were  dark  blue, 
shaded  by  beautiful  brows,  and  her  hair  was  light- 
brown,  long  and  soft,  giving  her  face  a  peculiarly 
gentle  expression.  Her  voice  was  sweet  and  most 
pleasing  in  its  intonations,  and  I  have  known  busy 
men  to  stop  in  their  work,  when  they  heard 
Josephine's  voice  in  an  adjoining  room,  that  they 
might  enjoy  its  charm. 

A  kind  heart  and  an  intelligent,  living  interest 
in  those  about  her  made  Josephine  most  deservedly 
loved  by  both  the  great  and  the  lowly.  She  had 
herself  been  forced  to  drink  of  the  cup  of  Sorrow, 
and  could  feel  for  those  whom  the  troubles  of  the 
times  had  bereaved  or  deprived  of  home  and  living. 
Tact  and  judgment  were  hers  in  the  highest  degree 
and,  even  above  these,  the  truly  royal  gift  of 
Charity  that  could  suffer  long  the  attacks  of  enven- 
omed Jealousy  and  still  be  kind. 

Josephine  was  not  an  angel  who  had  strayed  to 
this  earth,  for  she  had  her  failings,  the  chief  of 
which  was  extravagance,  although  even  here 
Bonaparte  urged  her  at  times  to  make  a  great  dis- 
play, while  at  other  times  reproving  her  for  her 
lavish  expenditure.  Take  her  in  all  respects,  and 
she   would   be   found   a   woman    of    noble   spirit. 


A  ROMANCE  OP  HISTORY.  75 

capable  of  holding  by  her  charm  of  gracioiisness 
all  whom  Napoleon  had  forced  to  his  side  by  the 
power  of  the  sword. 

Partly  at  Napoleon's  express  desire  and  partly  in 
obedience  to  the  promptings  of  her  own  kindly 
nature,  Josephine  made  it  her  constant  aim  to 
attract  people  of  all  ranks  to  herself,  and  many  and 
influential  were  the  friends  she  won  and  held. 
Among  the  nobility  of  Milan  in  the  days  of  the 
First  Italian  Campaign,  and  then  at  the  little  court 
of  Montebello  and  finally  in  the  great  assemblies  of 
the  Tuilleries,  she  moved  a  queen  by  instinct, 
drawing  alike  the  blunt  soldier,  the  polished  court- 
ier and  the  reserved  scholar  as  willing  captives  in 
her  train. 

Not  only  did  Josephine  win  and  hold  many  as 
friends  for  her  austere  husband,  she  likewise 
defended  him  from  many  a  hidden  enemy.  When 
Bonaparte  was  about  to  embark  for  the  Egyptian 
expedition  his  last  words  to  her  were  :  "Jose- 
phine, my  enemies  are  neither  in  Asia  nor  in 
Africa,  but  they  are  all  in  France.  I  leave  you 
behind  me  in  their  midst,  for  you  to  watch  them, 
and  to  unravel  their  schemes.  Think  of  this,  and 
be  my  strong  and  prudent  wife." 

Something  at  least  of  the  loving,  jealous  care 
with  which  she  watched  over  his  interests  during 
the  weary  months  of  his  absence  I  have  told  you. 


76  UNDER    TWO   CAPTAINS, 


and  also  of  the  keen  intuition  by  which  she  divined 
the  danger  that  menaced  him  after  the  triumph  of 
Marengo.  She  was  certainly  his  guardian  angel, 
and  he  did  at  once  a  great  wrong  and  an  act  of 
great  folly  when,  in  later  years,  he  sent  her  away. 

The  record  of  her  loving  care  for  Napoleon's 
welfare  would  not  be  complete,  did  I  not  at  least 
mention  her  earnest  efforts  at  holding  her  self-cen- 
tered husband  back  from  rushing  on  to  his  fate. 

With  her  rare  good  judgment  Josephine  saw  that 
Napoleon's  ambition  must  have  some  reasonable 
limit,  or  that  the  government  of  France  must  be 
revolutionized.  From  any  such  attempt  as  this, 
she  endeavored  with  all  her  influence  and  tact  to 
hold  her  husband  back,  lest  he  rush  on  to  ruin. 
Then,  too,  by  birth  and  conviction,  Josephine  was 
a  Royalist,  and  it  was  perhaps  the  dearest  wish  of 
her  heart  to  see  the  old  order  restored  and  the  king 
come  again  to  his  own.  The  Royalists  were  con- 
vinced of  her  unselfishness,  and  sought  time  and 
again  through  her  mediation  to  turn  Napoleon 
from  his  course.  One  such  attempt  had  in  it  so 
much  ingenuity  that  I  must  give  you  an  outline 
of  its  workings.  First  of  all  it  was  no  mere  mes- 
sage or  proposition  that  was  sent,  to  be  thrown  into 
the  waste  basket  or  pigeon-holed.  The  delicate 
matter  was  entrusted  to  the  energy  and  tact  of  a 
messenger,  and  this  messenger  was  no  less  a  per- 


A  ROMANCE  OF  HISTORY.  77 


sonality  than  a  beautiful  and  accomplished 
Duchess,  one  Madam  de  Guiche.  After  winning 
Josephine's  heart,  the  Duchess  was  invited  to  Mal- 
maison,  and  she  and  her  hostess  together  laid  their 
trap  for  the  crafty  Napoleon.  In  the  conversation 
it  came  out  that  the  Duchess  had  recently  seen  the 
royal  family  in  their  exile  and  had  asked  the  heir- 
apparent  what  would  be  done  for  the  First  Consul, 
were  he  to  restore  the  Bourbons.  The  prince 
answered  : 

"  First  of  all  he  would  be  created  Connetable^ 
with  all  the  privileges  attached  to  that  rank,  if  that 
were  agreeable  to  him.  But  that  would  not  be 
enough ;  we  would  erect  to  him  on  the  Place  de 
Carrousel  a  tall  and  costly  column,  and  on  it  we 
would  raise  the  statue  of  Bonaparte  crowning  the 
Bourbons." 

Napoleon  seemed  interested  in  this  gracious 
offer,  but  grimly  intimated  that  the  stately  column 
would  have  to  be  built  over  the  remains  of  the 
First  Consul.  The  Duchess  was  a  very  beautiful 
and  charming  woman,  but  nevertheless  she  got 
orders  that  same  evening  to  leave  Paris  at  daybreak. 

The  quality  of  Napoleon's  love  for  Josephine  can 
best  be  judged  from  extracts  of  the  letters  he  wrote 
her  during  the  Italian  Campaign  and  which  years 
later  were  published  by  Queen  Hortense  in  her 
mother's  vindication. 


78  UNDER   TWO   CAPTAINS, 

In  one  of  April  3,  1796,  he  writes  :  "  My  own 
Josephine,  away  from  you  there  is  no  joy  ;  away 
from  you  the  world  is  a  wilderness  in  which  I  feel 
alone,  and  have  no  one  in  whom  I  can  confide. 
You  have  taken  from  me  more  than  my  soul  ;  you 
are  the  only  thought  of  my  life.  When  I  feel 
weary  with  the  burden  of  affairs,  when  I  dread 
some  inauspicious  result,  when  men  oppose  me, 
when  I  am  ready  to  curse  life  itself,  I  place  my 
hand  upon  my  heart,  your  image  beats  there ;  I 
gaze  on  it  and  love  is  for  me  absolute  bliss,  and 
everything  smiles  except  when  I  am  away  from 
my  beloved. 

"  By  what  art  have  you  been  able  to  enchain  all 
my  powers,  and  to  concentrate  in  yourself  all  my 
mental  existence  ?  It  is  an  enchantment,  my  dear 
friend,  which  is  to  end  only  with  my  life.  To  live 
for  Josephine,  such  is  the  history  of  my  life." 

In  a  letter  written  several  months  later  from 
Tortona  he  says  :  "Be  careful,  my  dearly-beloved 
one,  to  tell  me  in  your  letter  that  you  are  convinced 
that  I  love  you  above  all  that  can  be  conceived ; 
that  never  has  it  come  to  me  to  think  of  other 
women  ;  that  they  are  all  in  my  eyes  without 
grace,  beauty  or  wit ;  that  you,  you  entirely,  you 
as  I  see  you,  as  you  are,  can  please  me  and  fetter 
all  the  powers  of  my  soul  ;  that  you  have  grasped 
it  in  all  its  immeasureableness ;  that  my  heart  has 


A  ROMANCE  OF  HISTORY.  79 


no  folds  closed  from  your  eyes,  no  thoughts  which 
belong  not  to  you  ;  that  my  energies,  arms,  mind, 
everything  in  me  is  subject  to  you  ;  that  my  spirit 
lives  in  your  body  ;  that  the  day  when  you  will  be 
inconstant,  or  when  you  will  cease  to  live,  will  be 
the  day  of  my  death,  and  that  nature  and  earth  are 
beautiful  to  my  eyes  only  because  you  live  in 
them." 

Many  similar  expressions  of  undying  devotion 
to  Josephine  might  be  gathered  from  these  letters 
which  were  written  almost  every  day,  even  in  the 
midst  of  official  dispatches  and  plans  of  battle ;  but 
there  is  no  need.  Enough  has  been  cited  to  show, 
if  words  mean  anything,  that  Napoleon's  first  mar- 
riage was  not  one  of  convenience,  but  a  true  love 
match. 

And  in  what  particulars  did  this  devoted  lover 
conform  to  his  beloved's  wishes?  This  much  at 
least  can  be  said  for  him,  that  for  years  he  de- 
fended her  against  the  jealous  calumnies  of  his  sis- 
ters ;  that  at  the  time  of  the  Pope's  visit  to  Paris 
her  desire  for  a  religious  marriage  was  granted ; 
and  that  he  arranged  that  the  succession  to  the 
throne  should  pass  to  her  daughter's  son. 

That  there  were  serious  flaws  in  his  love  cannot 
be  denied.  When  he  was  in  Egypt  and  Josephine 
was  at  home,  mindful  only  of  him  and  his  inter- 
ests, he  showed  himself  notoriously  unfaithful  to 


80  UNDER    TWO   CAPTAINS, 

her,  and  in  later  years  the  occasions  became  the 
more  numerous.  Finally,  as  the  world  knows,  In- 
terest was  allowed  to  prevail  over  the  sense  of 
Rio-ht  and  over  the  dictates  of  his  heart  as  well, 
and  the  long- contemplated  step  of  Divorce  was 
taken. 

I  need  not  dwell  on  the  anguish  of  spirit  that 
this  unjust  repudiation  caused  the  faithful  wife,  for 
the  consideration  is  a  sad  one,  especially  to  one 
who  would  gladly  think  well  of  his  old  commander. 
Napoleon  certainly  felt  the  separation  very  deeply, 
and  it  is  possible  that  he  even  persuaded  himself 
that  he  too  was  a  martyr  to  the  cause  of  France, 
for  strange  indeed  are  the  reasonings  of  the  human 
spirit  when  the  lode-stone  of  Interest  draws.  When 
it  came  to  the  trying  moment  of  informing  Jose- 
phine of  his  determination.  Napoleon  thus  ex- 
pressed himself :  "  The  nation  has  done  so  much 
for  me,  that  I  owe  it  the  sacrifice  of  my  dearest 
inclinations.  The  peace  of  France  demands  that  I 
choose  a  new  companion.  Since,  for  many  months, 
the  empress  has  lived  in  the  torments  of  uncer- 
tainty, and  everything  is  now  ready  for  a  new  mar- 
riage, we  must  therefore  come  to  a  final  explana- 
tion." 

To  Napoleon's  credit  it  must  be  said  that  in  the 
painful  scenes  of  the  formal  separation  in  the  most 
liberal  provision  for  Josephine's  future  he  showed 


A  ROMANCE  OF  HISTORY.  81 


great  consideration  and  at  times  deep  feeling.  In 
short  lie  showed  the  spirit  of  a  true  husband  in 
everything  except  in  the  matter  of  the  divorce 
itself ;  but  there  he  sinned  against  God  and  man. 

That  Napoleon's  fortune  began  to  wane  imme- 
diately after  his  divorce,  I  do  not  believe  ;  for  I  do 
not  think  that  the  books  of  heaven  are  balanced  so 
promptly.  Certain  it  is,  however,  that  this  deed 
of  wrong  brought  him  no  true  or  lasting  happiness. 
When  misfortune  came  his  young  wife  of  the  royal 
lineage  promptly  forsook  him,  and  the  intelligent 
and  amiable  little  son  in  whom  he  had  come  to 
take  great  pride  was  soon  snatched  away  by  the 
icy  hand  of  Death.  In  those  lonely  hours  of  retro- 
spect, of  which  the  exile  at  St.  Helena  aflforded  so 
many.  Napoleon  came  to  see  his  wrong,  for  shortly 
before  his  death  he  admitted  :  "  I  ought  not  to 
have  allowed  myself  to  be  separated  from  Jose- 
phine ;  no,  I  ought  not  to  have  been  divorced  from 
her;  that  was  my  misfortune." 

And  what,  you  may  ask,  bound  me  to  Napoleon 
for  twenty  years  and  more  ? 

First  of  all  he  held  me  in  loyal  services  by  his 
promises  concerning  Poland.  As  late  as  1806 
Poland,  though  feeble  from  her  wounds,  was  still 
alive  as  a  nation  and  eager  for  deliverance.  A 
deputation  of  Polish  nobles  had  visited  Napoleon 
at  Berlin  and  besought  his  intervention  on  behalf 

6 


82  UNDER    TWO   CAPTAINS, 

of  their  country.  They  were  received  with  great 
honor  and  given  the  assurance  that  France  had 
never  recognized  tlie  partition  of  their  country  ; 
also  that  it  was  his  personal  interest  to  restore  their 
independence  and  to  reconstruct  their  kingdom. 
On  the  strength  of  these  assurances  Napoleon 
made  triumphal  entry  into  Posen  as  the  Liberator 
of  Poland,  and  gained  60,000  devoted  Polish  sol- 
diers for  his  army. 

Poland's  patriot  chief,  Kosciusco,  never  trusted 
Napoleon,  but  Prince  Poniatowski  did,  and  cast  in 
his  lot  with  the  Man  of  Destiny.  The  confidence 
of  the  brave  Poles  in  Napoleon  was  misplaced,  for 
he  did  nothing  for  their  liberation  from  the  Rus- 
sian tyranny,  and  seemingly  cared  nothing  for 
them  at  the  time  when  the  power  was  his.  This 
neglect  came  back  upon  his  head  when  the  nations 
of  Europe  were  mustering  for  his  overthrow.  A 
restored  Poland  could  then  have  stood  up  in  East- 
ern Europe  as  a  mighty,  living  wall  for  his  defense. 

I  was  drawn  and  held  to  Napoleon's  service  fur- 
ther by  the  magnetism  of  his  genius,  and  only 
those  who  have  been  drawn  into  the  orbit  of  a 
Titan,  who  could  overthrow  the  oldest  dynasties 
and  change  the  map  of  Europe  by  the  might  of  his 
will,  know  the  power  of  such  an  attraction. 
While  disapproving  of  many  of  his  acts,  I  could 
not  forget  his  uniform  kindness  to  me,  or  repress 


A   ROMANCE  OF  HISTORY.  83 

the  growth  of  the  feeliug  of  loyalty  to  the  man 
whose  fortunes  I  had  followed  through  so  many 
perils. 

Time  and  again  he  offered  me  higher  rank  than 
that  of  Colonel  ;  but  I  always  declined,  being 
unwilling  to  part  from  my  faithful  Polish  regi- 
ment, and  having  no  ambition  for  the  proffered 
honors.  After  his  return  from  Elba  he  insisted  on 
my  acceptance  of  the  title.  Count  de  Bellevieu ; 
and,  had  he  been  victorious  at  Waterloo,  a  fine 
estate  would  have  been  added  to  the  title. 

To  me  Napoleon  was  always  kind,  and  it  is  a 
labor  of  love  to  testify  to  the  magnitude  of  his 
genius,  though,  as  a  conscientious  man,  I  must 'tell 
the  whole  story,  setting  down  the  evil  with  the 
good. 


CHAPTER  VI. 
THE   PHILOSOPHY  OF   WAR. 

T^HE  Springs  of  the  activities  of  mankind  are 
two — Selfishness  and  Love.  The  first  of  these 
we  share  with  the  brute  creation  in  its  struggle  for 
existence  ;  this  is  of  the  earth,  and  binds  us  to  the 
earth.  The  second  is  from  heaven,  and,  if  exer- 
cised, brings  us  into  relation  with  those  spirits  of 
light  who  are  ever  going  forth  from  the  throne  of 
God  on  errands  of  loving  helpfulness  to  the  chil- 
dren of  men. 

From  which  hidden  spring  in  the  heart  of  man 
comes  the  desire  or  purpose  of  War?  There  is 
some  Scripture  bearing  on  this  point,  and  also  the 
greater  part  of  that  long,  sombre  record  of  the 
deeds  of  men  which  we  call  History.  Ambition, 
which  is  Aggressiveness,  and  Selfishness,  which  is 
Covetousness  on  the  part  of  some  leader  or  of  a 
whole  people,  are  not  these  the  causes  of  War  ? 
Sometimes  those  beginning  the  struggle  are  the 
innocent  ones,  striking  for  self-defense  or  for  life 
itself. 

What  of  the  method  of  War,  or  what  is  War  in 
operation  ?  This  is  best  described  in  terms  that 
have    become    proverbial:    it   is    "Fire    and    the 

84 


A  ROMA IV CE  OF  HISTORY.  85 

Sword."  There  is  another  saying  that  has  had 
great  popularity  in  time  of  War,  viz. :  "  Better  be 
the  hammer  than  the  anvil."  However,  I  can 
show,  I  think,  from  my  own  experience  that,  great 
as  is  the  suflfering  of  the  anvil,  the  hammer  fares 
about  as  badly. 

You  know,  I  take  it,  who  each  of  these  parties 
are — those  who  strike  the  blows,  the  soldier  class 
and  those  who  suffer,  the  non-combatants  whose 
lands  and  homes  are  desolated  by  the  storm  of  War. 
And  what  is  the  experience  of  the  hammer  ?  Not 
all  who  go  to  War  are  officers,  seeking  fame  and, 
perchance,  fortune  ;  but  the  majority  are  common 
soldiers  to  whom  War  brings  little  of  profit  and 
much  of  hardship.  Untold  multitudes  are  taken 
from  the  pursuits  of  peace  and  prosperity  ;  yes,  are 
torn  from  home  and  loved  ones  to  sufier  all  the 
agony  that  hunger,  disease  and  wounds  can  inflict. 
In  a  single  one  of  the  several  hundred  battles  of 
Napoleon  80,000  men,  killed  and  wounded,  have 
fallen  under  the  fiery  hail  of  iron,  or  been  cut  down 
in  brutish  rage  by  their  fellow-men. 

Let  me  give  you  here  but  one  of  my  experiences 
in  the  hard  game  of  War.  It  was  on  the  field  of 
Austerlitz  that  I  received  the  severest  wound  of  the 
scores  that  I  had  to  endure  during  my  long  service^ 
I  was  engaged  in  storming  a  redoubt  and,  carried 
away  by  the  impetuosity  of  my  charge,  I  became 


86  UNDER   TWO   CAPTAINS, 

separated  from  my  men  and  suddenly  found  myself 
attacked  by  seven  Russian  cavalrymen.  Defending 
myself  as  best  I  could  in  such  unequal  conflict,  I 
succeeded  in  killing  or  disabling  two  of  them,  but 
received  a  terrible  sabre  cut  across  the  face  from 
another.  The  steel  chain  of  my  helmet  parried  the 
blow  and  saved  my  life.  Still  I  was  blinded  and 
weakened  to  such  an  extent  by  the  force  of  the 
blow  that  I  realized  in  an  instant  that  my  only 
safety  lay  in  flight.  My  horse  was  speedy,  and  I 
urged  him  on  to  his  utmost  effort.  Partly  blinded 
as  I  was  by  the  blood  from  my  wound,  and  intent 
only  on  evading  my  pursuers,  I  rode  heedlessly 
upon  a  narrow  ravine  through  which  ran  a  small 
stream,  frozen  over.  By  one  grand  leap  my  faith- 
ful horse  cleared  the  stream,  while  my  enemies, 
checking  their  animals  somewhat,  plunged  into  the 
stream  and  were  held  by  the  breaking  ice.  I 
always  attributed  my  escape  to  my  blinded  condi- 
tion, for,  could  I  have  seen  the  ravine,  I  doubtless 
would  have  checked  my  steed  and  fallen  into  the 
hands  of  my  foes. 

Avoiding  the  forces  of  the  enemy  by  a  sort  of 
instinct,  I  now  rode  for  hours,  having  in  my  bewil- 
derment lost  the  direction  of  our  own  army. 
Finally  night  came  on  and  I  saw  a  light  in  the 
distance.  On  near  approach  I  could  make  out  that 
this  came  from  a  mill.     I  managed  to  arouse  the 


A  ROMANCE  OF  HISTORY.  87 


miller,  who,  coming  to  liis  door,  was  horrified  at 
the  spectacle  that  met  his  eyes,  for  I  was  literally 
covered  with  blood.  By  writing  I  made  known  to 
him  my  condition  and  needs,  for  my  wound  had 
rendered  me  temporarily  speechless.  The  miller 
then  invited  me  in,  washed  the  blood  from  my  face 
and  clothing,  brought  the  edges  of  the  wound 
together  and  held  them  in  place  by  means  of  plas- 
ters and  bandages,  and  in  short  took  the  best  care 
of  me.  Here  I  remained  some  five  or  six  weeks, 
and  then  followed  the  route  of  the  army  and  in  due 
time  overtook  it. 

When  I  rode  into  camp  I  was  at  once  recognized 
and  shout  after  shout  rang  out  in  my  welcome,  for, 
though  I  say  it  myself,  I  had  uncounted  friends 
among  men  and  officers,  and  they  had  given  me  up 
as  dead,  or  at  least  as  a  prisoner. 

I^ack  of  time  does  not  allow  me  to  tell  again  that 
awful  story  of  the  retreat  from  Moscow.  Let  it 
suffice  when  I  tell  you  that  for  thirty-seven  days 
my  only  food  was  putrid  horse  flesh.  The  retreat 
from  Leipsic  has  not  been  made  much  of  by  his- 
torians, but  it  was  nearly  as  bad  as  the  Russian 
experience,  every  second  man  of  the  survivors  of 
Leipsic  falling  either  before  the  deadly  touch  of 
the  hunger-typhus  or  at  the  hands  of  a  foe  that 
harassed  almost  every  mile  of  the  journey  to  the 
Rhine. 


8g  UNDER   TWO    CAPTAINS, 

What,  you  ask,  is  the  philosophy  of  one  honest 
man,  a  kind  husband  and  father  perhaps,  undergo- 
ing hardship  and  even  bitter  suffering  that  he  may 
gain  the  opportunity  to  kill  some  other  man  who 
may  have  loved  ones  anxiously  awaiting  his 
return  ?  I  do  not  attempt  to  answer  this  question, 
as  I  never  had  it  satisfactorily  answered  to  me,  but 
shall  leave  it  to  the  better  understanding  and  con- 
science of  some  later  generation. 

Nevertheless  war  must  have  its  purpose  in  this 
present  evil  world,  or  the  Almighty  would  not  have 
allowed  it  so  large  a  place  in  the  life  of  the  human 
race.  One  good  thing  I  can  recount  that  was  made 
possible  through  war,  and  this  was  the  destruction 
of  the  headquarters  of  the  Inquisition  at  Madrid. 

Being  at  Madrid  in  the  year  1809,  my  attention 
was  directed  to  the  Inquisition  in  the  neighbor- 
hood of  that  city.  Napoleon  had  issued  orders  for 
the  suppression  of  this  institution  wherever  the 
arms  of  France  should  prevail.  I  reminded  Mar- 
shal Soult,  then  Governor  of  Madrid,  of  this  decree, 
and  he  directed  me  to  proceed  to  the  destruction  of 
this  far-famed  establishment.  Besides  my  own 
regiment,  the  9th  of  the  Polish  Lancers,  he  gave 
me  two  others,  the  1 1  ith  of  the  Line,  and  the  117th, 
which  was  commanded  by  Colonel  de  Lile,  who  is 
now,  like  myself,  a  minister  of  the  Gospel. 

With  these  troops  I  proceeded  to  the  Inquisition, 


A  ROMANCE  OF  HISTORY.  89 


which  was  five  miles  from  the  city.  It  was  sur- 
rounded by  a  wall  of  great  strength  and  defended 
by  about  four  hundred  soldiers.  When  we  arrived 
at  the  walls,  I  addressed  one  of  the  sentinels,  and 
summoned  the  holy  fathers  to  surrender  to  the 
imperial  army  and  open  the  gates  of  the  Inquisi- 
tion. The  sentinel,  who  was  standing  on  the  wall, 
appeared  to  enter  into  conversation  for  a  few  min- 
utes with  someone  within,  at  the  close  of  which  he 
raised  his  musket  and  shot  one  of  my  men.  This 
was  the  signal  for  attack,  and  I  ordered  my  troops 
to  fire  on  those  who  appeared  on  the  wall. 

It  was  soon  obvious  that  it  was  an  unequal  war- 
fare, for  our  troops  were  in  the  open  plain  and 
exposed  to  a  destructive  fire.  We  had  no  cannon, 
nor  could  we  scale  the  walls,  and  the  gates  success- 
fully resisted  all  attempts  at  forcing  them.  I  saw 
that  it  was  necessary  to  change  the  mode  of  attack, 
and  directed  that  some  trees  be  cut  down  and 
trimmed  that  they  could  be  used  as  battering 
rams. 

Presently  the  walls  began  to  tremble  under  the 
well-directed  and  persevering  application  of  the 
ram,  and  soon  a  breach  was  made  through  which 
our  troops  rushed  into  the  buildings  of  the  Inqui- 
sition. 

Here  we  met  with  an  incident  which  nothing 
but  Jesuitical    effrontery    could  invent.     The   In- 


90  UNDER   TWO   CAPTAINS, 

quisitor-General,  followed  by  the  fathers  in  their 
priestly  robes,  came  out  of  their  rooms  as  we  were 
makino^  our  way  into  the  interior.  With  solemn 
faces  and  with  their  hands  crossed  upon  their 
breasts,  as  though  they  had  been  deaf  to  all  the 
noise  of  the  attack  and  defense,  and  had  just  learned 
what  was  going  on,  they  addressed  themselves  in 
language  of  rebuke  to  their  own  soldiers,  saying  : 
* '  Why  do  you  fight  our  friends,  the  French  ?' ' 

Their  intention  apparently  was  to  make  us  think 
that  this  defense  was  wholly  unauthorized  by 
them,  hoping  that  they  would  thus  have  the  better 
opportunity  to  escape.  Their  trick  was  too  shal- 
low. I  caused  them  to  be  placed  under  guard  and 
all  the  soldiers  of  the  Inquisition  to  be  secured  as 
prisoners. 

We  then  proceeded  to  a  careful  examination  of 
the  building,  searching  room  after  room.  We 
found  it  beautiful  in  the  extreme ;  everything  ap- 
peared quiet  and  in  excellent  order — much  better 
order  indeed  than  is  common  for  the  Devil  to  keep. 
We  found  altars,  crucifixes  and  wax  candles  in 
abundance.  The  proportions  of  the  architecture 
were  perfect  ;  the  ceilings  and  floors  were  highly 
polished  ;  there  was  everything  to  please  the  eye 
and  gratify  a  cultivated  taste.  The  floor  of  the 
principal  hall  was  paved  with  slabs  of  fine  marble, 
and  at  the  end  of  this  hall  was  an  altar  with  several 


A  ROMANCE  OF  HISTORY.  91 


candles  burning.  The  priests  appeared  so  humble 
and  submissive,  and  everything  appeared  so  quiet 
and  orderly  that  my  suspicions  were  almost  lulled 
asleep,  and  I  began  to  suspect  that  a  great  many 
falsehoods  had  been  told  about  the  cruelties  prac- 
tised in  these  establishments.  We  could  discover 
nothing  of  those  horrid  instruments  of  torture,  of 
which  we  had  been  told,  or  of  those  secret  cells  and 
dungeons  in  which  human  beings  were  said  to  be 
buried  alive.  We  searched  in  vain.  The  holy 
fathers  assured  us  that  they  had  been  belied,  that 
we  had  seen  all.  I  was  prepared  to  believe  them 
and  was  on  the  point  of  retiring  with  my  men, 
leaving  the  building  for  the  present  in  the  hands 
of  its  former  occupants. 

But  Colonel  de  Lile  was  not  so  ready  to  give  up 
the  search.  We  proceeded  to  search  the  principal 
hall  most  carefully,  to  discover,  if  possible,  some 
trap-door  or  other  entrance  to  regions  below.  Some 
of  the  soldiers  tried  to  thrust  the  points  of  their 
bayonets  or  swords  between  the  slabs  of  the  mar- 
ble, but  all  without  success.  I  was  on  the  point  of 
giving  up,  when  Colonel  de  Lile  suggested  that 
water  be  brought  and  poured  through  the  crevices. 
Presently  an  opening  was  discovered.  "  Ah,"  said 
one  ;  "  what  have  we  here  ;  we  shall  soon  discover 
now." 

All  hands  were  now  at  work  for  discovery,  and  a 


92  UNDER   TWO   CAPTAINS, 

soldier  with  tlie  butt  of  his  musket  struck  a  spring, 
when  the  marble  slab  flew  back.  Then  the  faces 
of  the  inquisitors  grew  pale,  and,  as  Belshazzar, 
when  the  hand-writing  appeared  on  the  wall,  so 
did  these  men  of  Belial  shake  and  quake  in  every 
joint,  bone  and  sinew.  We  saw  a  stair-case  lead- 
ing into  the  cavity  below.  I  at  once  walked  to  the 
altar  and  took  one  of  the  candles  burning  upon 
it,  that  I  might  explore  what  was  before  us.  As 
I  was  doing  this  I  was  arrested  by  one  of  the  bald- 
pated  priests  who  laid  his  hand  gently  on  my  arm 
and  with  a  very  holy  look  said:  "  My  son,  these 
are  holy  candles  ;  you  must  not  touch  them  with 
your  profane  and  bloody  hand."  "  Well,  well,"  I 
said,  "  I  want  something  that  is  holy  ;  I  want  them 
for  a  holy  purpose  ;  I  want  to  see  if  they  will  shed 
light  on  iniquity." 

I  took  the  candle  and  proceeded  down  the  stair- 
case, when  we  entered  a  large  room  called  the  Hall 
of  Judgment.  In  the  centre  of  it  was  a  large  block, 
and  a  chain  fastened  to  it.  On  this  they  had  been 
accustomed  to  place  the  accused,  chained  to  his 
seat.  On  one  side  of  the  room  was  an  elevated 
seat,  called  the  throne  of  judgment.  This  the 
Inquisitor-General  occupied,  and  on  either  side 
were  seats  less  elevated  for  the  holy  fathers  when 
engaged  in  the  solemn  business  of  the  Holy  Inqui- 
sition.    From  this  room  we  proceeded  to  the  right. 


A   ROMANCE  OF  HISTORY.  03 


and  obtained  access  to  small  cells  extending  the 
entire  length  of  the  building  ;  and  here  what  a 
sight  met  our  eyes  !  How  has  the  benevolent 
religion  of  Jesus  been  abused  and  slandered  by  its 
professed  friends  ! 

These  cells  were  places  of  solitary  confinement, 
where  the  wretched  objects  of  inquisitorial  hate 
were  confined  year  after  year,  till  death  released 
them  from  their  sufferings.  Their  bodies  were 
suffered  to  remain  until  they  were  entirely  decayed, 
and  the  rooms  had  become  fit  for  others  to  occupy. 
To  prevent  this  practice  becoming  offensive  to 
those  occupying  the  Inquisition,  there  were  flues 
extending  to  the  open  air  sufficiently  capacious  to 
carry  off  the  odor  from  these  decaying  bodies.  In 
these  cells  we  found  the  remains  of  some  who  had 
paid  the  debt  of  nature ;  some  of  them  had  been 
dead  apparently  but  a  short  time  ;  of  others  nothing 
remained  but  their  bones,  still  chained  to  the  floor 
of  their  dungeon.  In  others  we  found  the  living 
sufferers  of  every  age  and  of  both  sexes,  from  the 
young  man  and  maiden  to  those  of  three-score  and 
ten  years,  all  as  naked  as  when  they  were  born  into 
the  world.  Our  soldiers  immediately  applied  them- 
selves to  releasing  these  captives  of  their  chains, 
stripped  themselves  in  part  of  their  own  clothing  to 
cover  those  wretched  beings,  and  were  exceedingly 
anxious  to  bring  them  up  to  th'e  light  of  day.    But, 


94  UNDER    TWO    CAPTAINS, 

aware  of  the  danger,  I  insisted  on  their  wants  being 
supplied,  and  that  they  should  be  brought  gradu- 
ally to  the  light,  as  they  could  bear  it. 

When  we  had  explored  these  cells,  and  opened 
the  prison  doors  of  those  who  yet  survived,  we  pro- 
ceeded to  explore  another  room  to  the  left.  Here 
we  found  instruments  of  torture  of  every  kind 
which  the  ingenuity  of  man  or  devil  could  invent. 
The  first  was  a  machine  by  which  the  victim  was 
held,  while  every  joint  in  his  hand,  arms  and  body 
was  drawn  out.  The  second  was  a  box  in  which 
the  head  of  the  victim  was  confined  by  a  screw. 
Over  the  box  was  a  vessel  from  which  one  drop  of 
water  fell  every  second  in  the  same  place  on  the 
head,  which  put  the  sufferer  into  the  most  excruci- 
ating agony  until  death.  The  third  was  an  infernal 
machine,  laid  horizontally,  to  which  the  victim 
was  bound  ;  the  machine  was  then  placed  between 
two  beams  in  which  were  scores  of  knives  so  fixed 
that  by  turning  a  crank  the  flesh  was  torn  from  the 
limbs  in  small  pieces.  The  fourth  surpassed  the 
others  in  fiendish  ingenuity.  Its  exterior  was  a 
beautiful  woman  or  figure,  attractively  dressed  and 
with  arms  extended.  Around  her  feet  a  semi-circle 
was  drawn.  The  victim  who  passed  over  this  fatal 
line  touched  a  spring  which  caused  the  diabolical 
engine  to  open  its  arms,  and  a  thousand  knives 
gut   him    into    as    many    pieces    in    the    deadly 


A   ROMANCE  OF  HISTORY.  95 

embrace.     This  fiendish  invention  was   called  the 
Virgin. 

The  sight  of  these  engines  of  torture  kindled  the 
spirit  of  the  soldiers  to  fury,  and  they  could  no 
longer  be  restrained.  They  declared  that  every 
inquisitor,  soldier  and  monk  of  the  Inquisition 
deserved  the  torture  and  should  have  it.  We  did 
not  attempt  to  restrain  them  any  longer,  and  they 
at  once  commenced  the  work  of  torture  with  the 
holy  fathers.  The  Inquisitor- General  was  brought 
before  the  Virgin  and  ordered  to  kiss  her.  He 
begged  to  be  excused.  "No,"  said  the  soldiers 
"  you  have  made  others  kiss  her  and  now  you  must 
do  so,  too  "  ;  and  pushed  him  over  the  fatal  line. 
The  beautiful  image  immediately  caught  him  in 
its  arms  and  he  was  cut  into  innumerable  pieces. 
I  remained  until  I  saw  four  different  kinds  of 
torture  applied  and  then  retired  from  the  awful 
scene,  which  did  not  end  while  one  individual 
remained  of  the  guilty  inmates  of  this  ante-cham- 
ber of  hell. 

As  soon  as  the  poor  sufferers  from  the  cells  of 
the  Inquisition  could  with  safety  be  brought  out  to 
the  light  of  day,  the  news  of  the  rescue  meanwhile 
having  been  spread  far  and  near,  all  who  had  been 
robbed  of  friends  by  the  holy  office  came  to  see  if 
their  loved  ones  might  be  among  those  snatched 
from  the  living  tomb, 


96  UNDER    TWO   CAPTAINS, 

Oh,  what  a  meeting  was  there  !  About  one  hun- 
dred who  had  been  buried  alive  for  years  were 
now  restored  to  life  and  friends. 

Many  a  one  found  here  a  son  and  there  a  daugh- 
ter, here  a  sister  and  there  a  brother  ;  and  some, 
alas  !  found  no  one  at  all.  The  scene  was  such  a 
one  that  no  tongue  could  describe.  When  this 
work  of  recognition  was  over,  to  complete  the 
business  in  which  I  was  engaged,  I  went  to  Madrid 
and  obtained  a  great  quantity  of  gunpowder,  which 
I  placed  underneath  the  edifice  and  in  its  vaults. 
Then,  as  we  applied  the  slow-match,  there  was  a 
joyful  sight  for  thousands  of  admiring  eyes.  Oh, 
it  would  have  done  your  heart  good  to  see  it  ;  the 
massive  walls  and  turrets  of  that  proud  edifice 
were  lifted  into  the  air,  and  the  Inquisition  of 
Madrid  was  no  more  ! 

The  soldier  class,  who  serve,  perforce,  as  the 
hammer  in  War,  suffer  much  ;  what  must  be  the 
experience  of  those  who  take  the  place  of  the 
anvil  ?  Here,  too,  there  is  a  terrible  harvest  of 
Death,  for  more  die  through  War  than  those  who 
fall  on  the  field  of  battle,  or  die  of  their  wounds,  or 
by  disease.  In  every  war  there  are  the  untold 
thousands  of  innocent  and  helpless  ones  who  per- 
ish, not  in  the  excitement  of  battle,  but  by  the 
slow  agony  of  starvation  and  exposure  to  the 
severity  of  the  elements.     Burned  homes  and  rav- 


A   ROMANCE  OF  HISTORY.  97 


aged  lands  ;  the  means  of  livelihood  swept  away, 
with  Famine  and  Pestilence  ever  hovering  just 
overhead — these  are  only  some  of  the  conditions 
that  War  brings  to  those  who  are  as  the  anvil 
beneath  the  blows  of  its  dread  hammer. 

In  the  seething  cauldron  of  War  the  lawless 
elements  of  Society  often  rise  to  the  top,  and  alas 
for  those  who  come  in  contact  with  these  forces  of 
destruction  !  Their  lot  it  is  to  suffer  all  that  out- 
lawry and  brute  violence  can  inflict  upon  them, 
and  to  endure  the  wretchedness  of  feeling  that 
there  is  no  redress. 

During  the  first  years  of  Napoleon's  leadership 
there  was  not  a  little  patriotism  in  the  Army  ;  but 
this  died  out  in  time,  and  the  ruling  passion  of 
almost  all,  officers  and  men,  came  to  be  selfishness, 
seeking  honors  and  wealth,  or,  in  the  case  of  the 
majority,  simply  looking  out  for  oneself. 

War,  with  its  long  train  of  horrors,  is  certainly 
one  of  the  greatest  offenses  found  in  the  life  of 
man.  Offenses,  we  read,  must  needs  come,  but 
woe  to  that  man  by  whom  the  offense  cometh  ! 
Here  a  question  arises,  Can  a  Christian  be  a  soldier, 
or  can  a  Christian  become  a  soldier  and  remain  a 
Christian  ?  War,  I  would  say,  is  poor  employment 
for  any  rational  being,  and  most  of  all  for  a  Chris- 
tian. Nevertheless,  because  of  our  sins.  War  is 
allowed.  On  this  question  I  endorse  the  confession 
7 


98  UNDER   TWO   CAPTAINS, 

of  the  Church  which  says  :  "It  is  right  for  Chris- 
tians to  award  just  punishments,  to  engage  in  just 
wars  and  to  serve  as  soldiers." 

The  Christian,  then,  must  first  be  sure  that  it  is 
a  just  war  upon  which  he  is  entering  ;  then  that  he 
is  on  the  side  of  justice.  To  conduct  oneself  as  a 
Christian  in  war  means,  according  to  my  belief,  to 
strike  the  enemy,  while  an  enemy,  as  hard  and  as 
often  as  need  be  to  break  his  power ;  but  then  also 
to  remember  that  he  is  a  fellow  man,  and  to  treat 
him  as  such  when  the  strife  is  over. 

When  War  ceases  from  oflf  the  earth,  then  all 
may  know  that  the  King  is  at  hand,  and  that  this 
age  has  run  its  course.  May  He  hasten  the  coming 
of  that  day  ! 


CHAPTER  VII. 

THE  WANING  PLANET. 

A  QUESTION  much  in  dispute  among  his- 
torians is  this:  Just  where  was  the  turning 
point  in  Napoleon's  fortunes?  Was  it  in  the 
Spanish  War?  Was  it  in  the  divorce  of  the  faith- 
ful Josephine  ?  Or  was  it  not  until  Moscow  burst 
into  flames  ? 

There  is  another  view  of  the  situation.  Napo- 
leon's star  began  to  wane  when  the  work  the 
Almighty  had  permitted  him  to  do  was  finished 
and  the  time  had  come  for  him  to  be  thrown  aside 
like  the  worn-out  tool  that  he  was.  So  it  was  with 
the  Pharaoh  of  the  Exodus,  with  Nebuchadnezzar 
and  many  another  heathen  king,  and  so  it  was  with 
Napoleon,  Emperor  of  the  French. 

Nevertheless  each  of  these  known  factors  had  its 
place  in  the  providential  ordering,  and  it  will  be  of 
interest  to  trace  their  workings. 

The  divorce  of  Josephine  I  shall  pass  by  with 
the  mere  mention.  It  was  a  wrong  in  itself  and 
also  a  great  mistake  for  Napoleon.  While  her  lov- 
ing devotion  to  him  and  his  interests  continued 
until  the  day  of  her  death,  still,  from  the  nature  of 
the  case,  she  could  no  longer  be  to  him  the  ever- 

99 


100  UNDER    TWO   CAPTAINS, 


watchful  counselor  and  confidant.  Who  can  say 
whether  some  of  the  fatal  mistakes  of  his  later 
career  might  not  have  been  avoided  had  the  pru- 
dent Josephine  been  by  his  side  to  point  out  the 
wisdom  that  lies  in  choosing  the  path  of  modera- 
tion. 

The  new  alliance  brought  Napoleon  no  higher 
standing  among  the  powers  of  Europe,  as  it  was 
by  its  very  conditions  a  matter  of  compulsion. 
Then,  too,  the  fondly  cherished  heir  it  brought  was 
soon  snatched  away  by  the  hand  of  disease,  while 
the  royal  bride  herself  gladly  took  occasion  to  flee 
from  her  autocratic  husband. 

The  Spanish  campaign  was  one  of  Napoleon's 
greatest  mistakes,  whether  considered  as  a  question 
of  diplomacy  or  as  one  of  war.  The  spirit  that  he 
here  found  arrayed  against  him  was  not  Bourbon 
stubbornness  or  dynastic  pride  of  any  kind,  but 
the  mighty  spirit  of  nationality  or  patriotism  on 
the  part  of  the  whole  Spanish  people,  roused  to 
fury  at  the  thought  of  having  a  king  forced  upon 
them  by  an  alien  hand.  Such  a  people,  engaged 
in  the  most  honorable  war  of  their  whole  history, 
and  entrenched  frequently  in  mountain  fastnesses, 
laughed  at  the  young  French  recruits  who  made 
up  so  large  a  part  of  the  armies  sent  against  them. 
In  place  of  either  the  fame  or  the  fortune  that  the 
French  armies  of  invasion  had  learned  to  expect, 


A  ROMANCE  OF  HISTORY.  101 


they  were  now  treated  to  hardship  and  hard  blows, 
and  these  they  received  in  overflowing  measure. 

Of  course  there  were  times  when  the  tide  flowed 
the  other  way,  bringing  victory  to  the  French 
arms,  for  some  of  Napoleon's  ablest  generals,  as 
Junot,  Murat,  Soult,  Ney  and  Massena,  and  not  a 
few  of  his  veteran  regiments  were  thrown  into  the 
struggle  in  Spain.  When  Napoleon  took  the  field 
in  person.  Victory  rested  upon  his  banners,  as  it 
generally  did  at  such  times.  Then  too  for  some 
unexplained  reason,  the  rest  of  us,  from  the  Mar- 
shals of  the  Empire  down,  could  fight  under  his 
eye  as  we  could  not  under  the  command  of  any 
other. 

I  well  remember  one  neat  little  piece  of  work 
that  it  fell  to  my  lot  to  put  through  by  way  of 
clearing  the  road  for  Napoleon. 

The  strongly-fortified  pass  of  Somo-sierra,  in  the 
Guadarama  mountain  range,  seemed  to  block  our 
advance.  Before  the  mists  of  early  morning  had 
lifted  I  swept  the  Spaniards  from  their  battery 
before  they  had  time  to  give  us  more  than  one 
round  from  the  guns.  My  Polish  I^ancers  cleared 
that  pass  before  breakfast,  and  four  days  later 
Madrid  fell. 

However,  such  easy  victories  were  not  the  rule, 
but  the  marked  exception.  Campaigning  in  the 
mountains  of  Spain  was  as  a  general  thing  hard 


102  UNDER   TWO   CAPTAINS, 

and  bootless  labor,  for  what  we  gained  one  season 
was  usually  lost  the  next.  Here,  too,  the  English 
gave  us  a  hard  wrestle  for  our  fame,  as  they 
varied  their  usual  program  of  sending  subsidies  in 
money  to  the  enemies  of  France  by  coming  them- 
selves in  strong  force  and  with  their  best  generals. 
Sir  John  Moore  and  Sir  Charles  Napier  fell  in  their 
victory  at  Corunna,  but  then  came  Wellesley,  later 
Duke  of  Wellington,  who  understood  both  how  to 
wear  out  his  enemies'  strength  by  a  skillful  use  of 
Fabian  policy  and  also  how  to  strike  hard  blows 
when  he  saw  that  the  auspicious  hour  had  come. 
Now  it  was  their  victory  and  now  it  was  ours,  but 
the  final  result  was  our  exhaustion  and  withdrawal, 
which  meant  for  Napoleon  a  rude  awakening  from 
his  dream  of  universal  empire. 

Then  there  was  the  Russian  campaign,  and  who 
does  not  know  its  story  and  moral  ?  Napoleon 
had  frequently  met  the  armies  of  Russia  in  battle, 
and  had  for  the  most  part  come  off  victor  in  the 
encounter,  but  this  time  he  proposed  to  follow  the 
Bear  of  the  North  to  his  lair.  The  impending 
struggle  was  indeed  to  be  a  most  notable  one,  a 
true  Battle  of  the  Giants.  On  the  one  side,  under 
the  banners  of  Napoleon,  were  arrayed  the  resources 
of  nearly  all  western  Europe  and  the  highest  mili- 
tary skill  of  centuries  ;  on  the  other,  as  ally  to  the 
Russian,  was  the  brute    strength    and    unlimited 


A  ROMANCE_OF  HISTORY.  10- 

power   of  endurance   of  a   mighty,    half-civilized 
people,  fighting  for  land  and  liberty,     Nature,  too, 
was  Russia's  ally.     Could  even  the  greatest  mili- 
tary genius  annihilate  distance,  or  by  its  imperious 
volition  transport  half  a  million  soldiers,  with  their 
artillery  and  baggage,  over  the  long  miles  of  cheer- 
less   steppes   on    the   wings   of    thought?     Could 
Napoleon's  1,200  cannon  beat  down  the  ice  of  the 
North  or  prevail  against  the  arrows  of  the  frost  ? 
So  the  modern  Alexander  seemed  to  think  as  he 
proudly  arrayed  his  Grand  Army  to  humble  the 
dynasty  of  the  Romanoffs,  as  he  already  had  laid 
low  the  houses  of  the  Bourbon,  the  Hohenzollern 
and  the  Hapsburg. 

It  was  truly  a  Grand  Army  that  Napoleon  led 
against  the  forces  of  the  North,  vastly  superior  in 
intelligence  and  bravery,  and  hence  in  real  effect- 
iveness,    to     the     far-famed     army    of    Xerxes. 
Humanly  speaking,  no    forces    then  in    existence 
could   have  stood  before  this  host  of  disciplined 
warriors,  had  their  leader  been  allowed  to  choose 
his  own  time  and  place  for  the  conflict.     But  the 
times   and    seasons   of   our  lives   are   not    always 
in  our  hands,  and  even  Napoleon  was  to  learn  that 
Providence  is  not  invariably  on  the  side  having  the 
heaviest  guns. 

After  several  months  in  Dresden,  devoted  to  the 
careful  preparation  of  the  warlike  host  and  to  the 


104  UNDER   TWO   CAPTAINS, 

pomp  and  festivity  that  befitted  the  court  of  a 
world-conqueror,  Napoleon  gave  the  word  of  com- 
mand and  the  march  on  Russia  began.  On  the 
24th  of  June  the  Nieman  was  crossed  and  the 
grand  army  was  on  Russian  soil.  But,  summer  as 
it  was,  the  elements  gave  the  conqueror  a  hint  of 
what  they  could  do,  and  drenching  rains  and  cold 
driving  winds  swept  down  upon  us  from  the 
North,  chilling  man  and  beast  in  many  cases  to 
their  death. 

Then  the  wily  Russians,  while  at  first  fearing  to 
meet  us  in  battle,  devastated  the  country  before  us 
so  completely  that  already  by  the  end  of  the  third 
week  of  our  march  we  were  suffering  for  the  want 
of  food.  On  the  i6th  of  August  they  ventured 
to  make  a  stand  against  us  in  the  strongly  fortified 
town  of  Smolensko.  About  12,000  men  in  killed 
and  wounded  was  the  price  we  paid  for  this  vic- 
tory. On  the  7th  of  September  at  Borodino  the 
Russians  made  a  last,  desperate  effort  to  save  their 
sacred  city  from  falling  into  our  hands.  From 
dawn  till  dark  on  that  awful  day  a  quarter  of  a 
million  men  strove  for  one  another's  blood  under 
the  sulphurous  pall  of  a  thousand  cannon  hurling 
fire  and  death  into  the  human  mass.  The  enemy 
left  40,000  men  on  the  field  and  we  about  as  many. 
We  claimed  the  victory,  but  it  was  only  a  fruitless 
one,  owing  to  Napoleon's  refusal  to  allow  Ney  to 


A  ROMANCE  OF  HISTORY.  l05 


use  the  Old  Guard  to  follow  up  the  retreating 
enemy.  Ney  realized  that  without  this  last  blow 
the  victory  would  be  incomplete  and  fruitless,  and 
in  his  hot  anger  said  that  Napoleon  would  do  well 
to  give  his  attention  to  discharging  the  role  of 
Emperor  and  to  leave  war  to  soldiers.  Napoleon 
readily  forgave  this  rash  utterance,  especially  as  its 
implication  was  not  true,  for,  till  the  very  night  of 
Waterloo,  Napoleon  was  the  born  commander,  as 
skilful  and  untiring  as  mortal  man  could  be.  Still 
he  made  a  grave  mistake  here,  and  it  was  made  in 
the  fear  that  disaster  might  befall  his  cherished 
Guard.  Was  the  iron  nerve  of  the  Man  of  Destiny 
beginning  to  soften  ? 

You  know  the  old  story  of  the  burning  of  Mos- 
cow and  of  our  forced  retreat,  with  Cold  and  Hun- 
ger and  the  Cossacks  cutting  down  their  thousands 
through  those  weeks  that  seemed  ages.  Napoleon 
staid  with  us  for  a  considerable  time,  until,  I  sup- 
pose, the  full  realization  of  the  utter  ruin  of  the 
army  had  burnt  itself  into  his  proud  spirit ;  then 
he  hastened  back  to  civilization  to  retrieve  his 
injured  fortunes. 

Only  one  barrier  stood  between  the  shattered 
remnants  of  the  Grand  Army  and  destruction,  and 
this  was  the  spirit  of  indomitable  courage  that  ani- 
mated that  skilful  soldier.  Marshal  Ney.  By  the 
commanding  power  of  his   personality   some  few 


106  UNDER   TWO   CAPTAINS, 

thousand  veterans  were  kept  together,  and  thus 
enabled  to  beat  back  any  systematic  attack  of  the 
enemy.  I  was  at  his  side  as  an  aide  during 
those  terrible  weeks  and  can  testify  that  he  most 
richly  deserved  the  name  that  Napoleon  gave  him. 
"The  Bravest  of  the  Brave."  Had  the  Russians 
possessed  a  general  of  half  Ney's  ability,  few  indeed 
would  have  been  the  French  soldiers  who  would 
not  have  left  their  bones  on  those  frozen  plains. 

The  crowning  horror  of  all  that  campaign  of 
horrors  was  at  the  crossing  of  the  Beresina. 
The  Russians  held  the  only  bridge,  thus  forcing 
us  to  build  for  ourselves  amid  the  floating  ice 
and  in  the  face  of  their  attack.  Then,  as  our 
remnant  of  an  army  began  to  cross,  they  fell 
upon  us  like  demons,  finally  bringing  artillery  into 
position  and  raking  the  bridge.  Our  poor  fellows 
fell  here  by  the  thousands,  and  the  sick  and 
wounded  had  to  be  adandoned  entirely  to  the  rage 
of  the  elements  and  to  the  tender  mercies  of  the 
enemy.  It  is  said  that  when  the  ice  gorge  in  the 
Beresina  broke  up  in  the  spring  the  bodies  of 
12,000  French  soldiers  were  seen  on  the  banks. 
Of  the  host  of  600,000  who  entered  the  domains  of 
the  Czar  only  a  pitiful  50,000  survived,  and  among 
these  must  be  reckoned  a  strong  rear  guard  left  at 
Vilna. 

As    I   have   already   remarked    Napoleon's   war 


J 


A  ROMANCE  OP  HISTORY.  lOT 

bulletins  had  a  reputation  all  their  own,  though 
not  on  account  of  their  strict  veracity.  Returning 
to  civilization  after  witnessing  the  annihilation  of 
the  Grand  Army,  he  nevertheless  made  official 
report  to  France  that  he  had  accomplished  his 
object  by  the  destruction  of  the  enemy's  capital 
and  was  once  more  returning  to  his  people  in 
victory.  There  were  no  railroads  or  lines  of 
telegraph,  as  you  know,  in  those  days,  so  that  it 
was  some  time  before  the  whole,  crushing  truth 
became  know  throughout  France.  By  the  time  the 
sweeping  extent  of  the  disaster  was  understood  by 
the  French  people  they  had  come  to  understand 
something  else  as  well,  and  that  was  that,  unless 
they  were  willing  to  lose  the  prestige  that  Napo- 
leon had  given  them  and  take  a  subordinate  place 
among  the  nations,  they  must  follow  him  to  the 
bitter  end  in  stripping  their  land  of  her  resources 
and  of  every  available  man  in  preparation  for  the 
death-grapple  with  banded  Europe.  The  schools 
were  now  robbed  of  their  stripling  youth,  the  fields 
of  their  toilers  and  the  hospitals  of  their  war-worn 
veterans,  that  another  Grand  Army  might  be 
enrolled  with   which  to  defy  Europe  in   arms. 

Napoleon  willed  it,  and  so  France  made  the 
sacrifice.  Another  half  million  men  and  boys 
were  put  in  the  field,  and  soon  the  veterans  scat- 
tered among   them  inspired  the  recruits  with    the 


108  UNDER   TWO   CAPTAINS. 


spirit  of  military  ardor  and  devotion  to  their 
Emperor  that  for  years  had  made  the  armies  of 
France  ahnost  invincible. 

On  the  2nd  of  May,  1813,  the  terrible  game  of 
War  began  again  with  the  great  battle  of  lyuetzen, 
where  Sweden's  hero-king,  Gnstavus  Adolphus, 
had  fallen  nearly  two  centuries  before  in  the  hour 
of  victory.  Alexander  of  Russia  and  Frederick 
William  III.  of  Prussia  here  took  the  field  in 
person  against  Napoleon,  and  the  slaughter  into 
which  they  sent  their  devoted  soldiers  was  fearful. 
Napoleon  was  the  victor  here,  and  less  than  three 
weeks  later  he  hurled  a  force  of  125,000  upon  the 
army  of  the  Allies  at  Bautzen  and  was  again 
victorious.  After  a  two  month's  armistice,  fight- 
ing was  renewed  and  a  hard-won  victory  was 
gained  by   Napoleon   at  Dresden. 

To  tell  both  sides  of  a  story,  I  must  admit  here 
that,  while  Napoleon  was  gaining  these  victories, 
several  of  his  marshals  were  getting  the  worst  of 
the  argument  on  other  fields.  At  Gross-beeren 
General  Oudinot  was  defeated ;  at  Katsbach 
General  Blucher  gained  the  victory  over  Marshal 
Macdonald,  taking  18,000  French  prisoners  and 
100  guns.  My  favorite  Ney  was  also  on  the 
unfortunate  list,  meeting  with  one  of  the  few 
defeats  of  his  life  at  the  hands  of  General  Berna- 
dotte,  our  former  companion  in  arms,  but  foremost 
now  among  our  enemies. 


A  ROMANCE  OF  HISTORY.  109 


Finally  the  opposing  forces  massed  themselves 
for  a  grand  struggle  that  should  decide  once  for 
all  the  question  of  the  mastery.  A  battle  followed 
before  Leipsic  that  I  consider  one  of  the  greatest 
in  all  history,  both  in  itself  and  in  its  conse- 
quences. 

Much  has  been  made  by  historians  of  the  Battle 
of  Waterloo  as  signalizing  the  fall  of  Napoleon. 
Waterloo  was  a  notable  battle,  and  it  forms  a  fitting 
and  dramatic  close  to  the  career  of  Napoleon ;  but 
the  Battle  of  Leipsic  was  the  greater  conflict  of  the 
two  and  it  should  be  made  more  of  in  History,  for 
it  was  here  that  Napoleon's  power  was  shattered. 
It  is  true  that  after  Leipsic  Napoleon  was  still 
Emperor  and  still  the  one  military  genius  who 
had  no  peer  the  world  over  ;  but  it  is  also  true 
that  from  his  defeat  at  Leipsic  he  was  a  broken 
man,  and  his  best  efforts  were  the  struggles  of 
despair  in  the  face  of  inevitable  ruin. 

On  the  1 6th  of  October  the  Titanic  struggle 
began  on  the  rolling  plain  east  of  Leipsic  in  clear 
view  of  the  city.  Our  130,000  men  were  almost 
surrounded  by  the  300,000  of  the  Allies.  The 
battle,  it  was  realized  by  all,  was  to  be  one  of 
extermination,  and  from  the  very  beginning  the 
fighting  was  with  desperation.  The  Allies  began 
the  struggle  by  attacking  six  times  in  close  succes- 
sion our  generals,  Victor  and  Lauriston,  only  to  be 


110  UNDER    TWO    CAPTAINS, 

driven  back  each  time  with  heavy  loss.  Then 
about  noon  we  began  a  bombardment  of  their  cen- 
tre, concentrating  the  fire  of  150  guns  upon  this 
point.  At  3  p.  M.  our  cavalry  under  Murat, 
Latour-Maubourg  and  Kellerman  charged  and 
broke  their  centre.  At  4  o'clock,  however,  the 
tide  turned,  and  our  cavalry  were  hurled  back 
before  the  charge  of  the  Austro-Russian  reserve 
and  the  Cossack  Guard.  At  the  same  hour  the 
Austrian  Meerveldt  dashed  out  from  Connewitz, 
but  only  to  his  destruction.  General  Bertrand  suc- 
cessfully resisted  superior  numbers  and  drove  them 
back  to  Plage witz. 

So  night  fell  with  the  advantage  on  our  side, 
Blucher  having  made  the  only  permanent  advance 
for  the  Allies.  In  view  of  the  advantage  being  on 
his  side,  Napoleon  saw  fit  the  next  day  to  oflfer 
terms  of  peace.  These  were  not  accepted,  but 
there  was  at  least  a  day  of  truce.  Napoleon  cer- 
tainly intended  to  withdraw  westward  from  Leip- 
sic,  yet  no  advantage  was  taken  of  this  breathing 
spell  to  build  bridges  over  the  small  but  deep 
rivers  cutting  that  route.  Had  he  forgotten,  or 
did  his  mighty  genius  flag  at  that  critical  moment  ? 

Napoleon's  terms  were  refused,  so  at  7  o'clock 
on  the  morning  of  the  i8th  the  battle  was  renewed, 
the  left  wing  under  Ney  facing  north  near  Gohlis. 
Napoleon   occupied  a  hillock  at   Thornberg  with 


A  ROMANCE  OF  HISTORY.  Ill 


the  Old  Guard  as  a  reserve.  Before  long  Ney  was 
forced  to  withdraw  before  Bernadotte  and  Ben- 
ningsen,  so  as  to  avoid  being  surrounded.  For  the 
most  part,  however,  there  was  but  little  manoeuver- 
ing  for  position  ;  only  the  most  savage  fighting. 
At  the  centre,  under  Napoleon's  own  eye,  the  car- 
nage was  such  that  words  cannot  describe  ;  Arma- 
Geddon  had  been  realized  on  earth.  So  it  was  at 
Probstheida  under  General  Victor.  Here  the  Rus- 
sians and  Prussians  made  ten  bayonet  charges,  each 
time  meeting  with  fiercest  repulse.  The  air  at 
times  was  thick  with  human  limbs,  torn  off  by  the 
cannon's  blast  ;  the  soil  was  flesh.  So  it  was  at 
Stoetteritz  and  elsewhere.  Two  thousand  cannon 
were  thundering  at  once  ;  but,  as  night  fell,  many 
of  these  and  most  of  the  muskets  had  become  too 
hot  for  use,  and  the  frenzied,  de-humanized  soldiers 
fought  on  in  the  hand  to  hand  struggle  to  kill. 
Many  not  in  the  vortex  of  the  fight  fell  asleep  on 
their  feet  from  utter  exhaustion.  Napoleon  him- 
self was  for  half  an  hour  in  a  state  that  can  only  be 
described  as  one  of  stupor. 

All  day  long  our  wagon  trains  had  been  retreat- 
ing westward,  and  now,  as  the  moon  arose,  the 
retreat  began  in  earnest  over  the  one  bridge  (a 
stone  one)  which  spanned  the  Elster.  For  the  time 
Napoleon  had  ceased  to  be  the  animating  spirit  of 
his  army.     His  genius  ;  yes,  his  intelligence,  was 


112  UNDER    TWO   CAPTAINS. 


strangely  obscured  for  hours,  and  until  midday  he 
wandered  aimlessly  about  the  streets  of  lyeipsic, 
not  recognized  for  the  most  part  by  his  own  sol- 
diers ;  finally  he  fell  into  the  line  of  retreat. 

At  2  p.  M.  a  terrible  blunder  was  committed. 
The  stone  bridge  was  blown  up,  and  there  was  no 
other.  At  that  most  critical  moment  the  Austrian 
army  stormed  the  city  and  our  rear-guard  came 
rushing  in.  My  regiment,  or  what  was  left  of  it, 
belonged  here,  and,  as  we  galloped  into  the  city 
and  through  its  streets,  the  ruin  of  our  army  con- 
fronted us  on  every  hand.  Reynier's  and  Lauris- 
ton's  forces  numbering  20,000  men  had  been  cap- 
tured ;  thousands  more  lay  in  death  or  in  the  agony 
of  their  wounds  on  the  plain,  and  an  untold  num- 
ber, like  my  compatriot,  Prince  Poniatowski,  were 
drowned  in  those  small,  deep  rivers  of  which 
Napoleon  had  taken  no  account. 

As  my  regiment  reached  the  Hinter-Thor,  we 
saw  our  opportunity  to  do  a  piece  of  work  that 
gave  us  much  pleasure.  The  remnant  of  one  of  our 
infantry  regiments  had  been  surrounded  here  by 
an  overwhelming  force  of  Austrians,  and,  though 
selling  their  lives  dearly,  were  simply  being  mas- 
sacred. Here  was  work  to  our  liking,  and,  as  I 
gave  the  word  of  command,  my  men  answered  with 
a  ringing  cheer.  In  another  moment  the  Austrians 
who  escaped  the  shock  of  our  first  onset  were  flee- 


A  ROMANCE  OF  HISTORY.  113 


ing  up  the  narrow  alleys  and  into  houses  to  save 
themselves  from  the  feet  of  our  horses  and  from  the 
blow  of  the  sabre  and  the  thrust  of  the  lance. 

At  the  blown-up  bridge  the  scene  was  one  that 
beggars  description.  Here  friend  and  foe  were  in- 
volved in  one  hopeless  melee,  and  thousands  were 
being  forced  into  the  river,  trodden  under  foot  or 
slaughtered  where  they  stood.  Nothing  was  to  be 
done  here  by  our  handful  to  beat  back  the  foe  or 
rescue  our  friends,  and  so  we  made  our  way  under 
guidance  of  an  infantry  private  to  a  ford  where 
they,  as  well  as  ourselves,  could  cross. 

Soon  we  fell  in  with  our  retreating  troops  scat- 
tered along  the  Erfurt  road  toward  Lindenau,  and 
then  began  another  sad  chapter  in  the  sad  story 
of  war.  Disheartened  by  defeat,  weakened  by  hun- 
ger, with  thousands  dying  of  the  typhus,  and 
harassed  by  the  Cossacks  almost  as  on  the  retreat 
from  Russia,  we  pressed  wearily  on  toward  the 
Rhine  and  safety.  However,  we  had  not  forgotten 
the  art  of  War  even  in  the  worst  of  our  hardships, 
as  those  found  to  their  cost  who  attempted  to  block 
our  way.  Napoleon  was  himself  again,  as  was 
clearly  shown  by  his  successful  conduct  of  the 
retreat  and  by  the  skill  and  desperation  with  which 
he  fought  battle  after  battle  before  Paris. 

But  all  this  struggle  of  desperation  was  in  vain. 
The  first  stroke  of  the  hour  of  Napoleon's  destiny 


114  UNDER    TWO   CAPTAINS, 


was  sounded,  and  his  abdication  of  the  throne  and 
retirement  to  Elba  soon  followed. 

I  do  not  care  to  linger  on  the  circumstances  of 
that  journey  of  the  humbled  conqueror ;  but  it  is 
a  matter  of  History  that,  as  he  passed  through  the 
southern  provinces  of  France,  where  the  forces  of 
the  opposition  had  smouldered  on  during  the  years 
of  his  ascendency,  the  insults  and  threats  of  the 
populace  cowed  the  lion  heart  that  had  never 
quailed  in  the  fiery  hail  of  battle,  and  Napoleon 
stooped  to  disguise  himself  that  he  might  avoid 
the  wrath  of  his  enemies.  Truly,  as  his  star  set 
for  the  season  in  the  waves  of  the  Mediterranean, 
it  was  in  clouds  and  obscurity. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 
THE   CAGED   LION;    HIS  RELEASE  AND  RECAPTURE. 

V\7 AS  it  from  man  or  of  God,  this  panic  that  fell 
upon  so  many  who  had  been  Napoleon's 
supporters  ?  Something  in  the  air,  as  it  were,  told 
men  that  the  Invincible  One's  day  was  drawing 
toward  its  close  ;  and  so  the  kings  and  princes  he 
had  put  upon  their  thrones  fell  away,  as  soon  as 
the  chill  of  evening  came  to  be  felt.  The  lion  who 
had  scattered  his  foes  at  the  bridge  of  Lodi,  at 
Austerlitz,  Jena  and  on  scores  of  other  hard-fought 
fields  was  now  left  alone,  save  for  the  blind  devo- 
tion of  a  warm-hearted  people. 

Yes ;  one  nation  there  was  besides  his  own  to 
hold  unwaveringly  to  their  promised  deliverer — 
a  nation  without  a  government  of  their  own — my 
own  brave  Polish  people.  At  Leipsic  and  after 
Leipsic,  when  Napoleon's  friends  were  few  and 
becoming  fewer,  the  Poles  alone  remained  faithful. 

As  you  know  from  your  reading,  desperate 
indeed  were  the  efforts  our  Emperor  made  to 
retrieve  the  field  of  Leipsic  The  lion  was  at  bay 
now  and  striking  quick  and  deadly  blows  ;  but  the 
hour  of  his  undoing  had  come,  and  one  small 
Mediterranean  island  was  to  be  his  domain. 

115 


116  UNDER    TWO   CAPTAINS^ 


Napoleon  was  now  in  Elba,  with  an  abundance 
of  material  growing  out  of  the  Past  to  furnish  him 
with  food  for  reflection  ;  what  was  doing  in  France  ? 
The  Bourbons  had  come  back  at  the  call  of  the 
victorious  Allies,  and  with  them  came  the  residue 
of  the  Emigrant  Nobility. 

These  latter,  who  had  steadfastly  refused  all  these 
years  to  adjust  themselves  to  the  changed  order 
that  had  come  to  pass  in  their  native  land,  now 
expected  as  the  least  reward  for  their  devotion  to 
the  old  regime  the  restoration  of  their  estates  and 
dignities.  These  estates  had  been  confiscated  long 
years  before  by  the  government  and  assigned  to  its 
champions  in  war,  or  sold  to  private  parties  and 
perhaps  sold  again.  As  well  try  to  bring  back  the 
water  that  flowed  in  the  Seine  twenty  odd  years 
before,  but  that  had  for  all  these  years  been 
mingled  with  the  fluid  mass  of  the  Atlantic,  as  to 
restore  these  estates.  As  for  the  old  feudal  digni- 
ties and  privileges  they  existed  in  the  recollections 
of  the  people  only  as  an  unpleasant  reminder  of  the 
days  of  their  bondage. 

Out  of  the  chaos  of  the  Revolution  there  had 
arisen  a  new  order  that  had  in  it  vastly  more  of  the 
element  of  Justice  than  the  old  ever  had,  and  that 
belonged  to  the  Present.  When  the  Bourbons  and 
their  adherents  made  the  studied  and  persistent 
attempt  to  ignore  twenty  of  the  most  momentous 


A  ROMANCE  OF  HISTORY.  117 


years  in  the  life  of  a  progressive  people,  they 
demanded  that  this  people  live  day  after  day  what 
may  be  called  a  lie  of  the  Intellect.  "No  foot- 
steps backward  "  is  an  old  and  a  true  saying,  and 
when  the  Bourbons  insisted  that  the  French  peo- 
ple deny  its  truth  in  their  daily  lives,  they  were 
guilty  of  folly  that  can  be  fittingly  described  only 
as  monumental. 

And  this  Bourbon  folly  was  shown  in  all  the 
spheres  of  life,  and  not  merely  in  the  political 
world,  where  it  might,  perhaps,  have  been 
expected.  In  social  life,  in  the  Army  and  even  in 
the  Church  it  was  equally  evident  that  the  attempt 
was  being  systematically  made  to  ignore  the  Living 
Present  in  favor  of  the  Buried  Past.  To  the  limit 
of  their  ability  (which  by  the  way  did  not  reach 
very  far)  the  Bourbons  set  aside  the  laws  and  prac- 
tices they  found  in  force.  The  most  important 
issues,  however,  as  the  freedom  of  the  press,  per- 
sonal liberty  and  the  existing  titles  to  property, 
they  dared  not  touch.  In  the  sphere  of  Religion 
the  Roman  Church  was  given  free  scope,  and  she 
used  her  resources  of  ceremonial  to  the  utmost  in 
elaborate  street  processions  and  reconsecrations  of 
churches  to  impress  the  people  with  the  thought 
that  the  age  of  Reason  had  been  set  aside  by  the 
hand  of  God,  to  make  place  for  the  old,  unques- 
tioning faith  and  devotion.     So  it  happened  that 


118  UNDER   TWO    CAPTAINS, 


many  a  fickle  Frenchman  who  only  a  few  years 
before  had  danced  with  glee  about  the  altar  of 
Reason,  while  he  hurled  terms  of  ridicule  at  the 
Church,  could  now  be  seen  walking,  as  became  a 
good  Catholic,  with  measured  step  and  penitential 
mien  to  some  elaborate  ceremonial  setting  forth 
the  triumph  of  the  Church  over  her  sacreligious 
foes. 

This  kind  of  thing  could  not  have  lasted  a  great 
while,  for  the  French  are  too  intelligent  a  people 
to  be  kept  for  any  long  time  acting  a  part.  How- 
ever other  and  more  active  forces  than  mere 
national  impatience  were  at  work.  We  of  the 
Army  who  had  followed  Napoleon  on  so  many  a 
march  and  into  so  many  a  fierce  battle  were  soon 
made  to  feel  that,  instead  of  being  the  French 
patriots  we  had  imagined  ourselves,  we  had  all 
this  time  been  traitors  to  France,  and  were  even 
now  suspects.  This  suspicion,  or  repellant  treat- 
ment, of  the  soldiers  of  the  imperial  army  was  as 
unwise  as  it  was  unjust.  We  had  fought  and  bled 
and  starved  all  those  years,  not  only  for  Napoleon, 
but,  as  we  believed,  just  as  much  for  France.  We 
soldiers  were  men  accustomed  to  prompt  and  vig- 
orous action,  and  we  speedily  gave  our  old  leader 
to  understand  that  there  were  matters  pertaining 
to  the  Present  upon  which  he  might  do  well  to 
reflect.     That  winter  some  of  us  who  had  the  sense 


A  ROMANCE  OF  HISTORY.  119 


of  humor  took  great  pleasure  in  displaying  to  an 
appreciative  friend  the  emblem  of  a  violet  with  the 
peculiar  statement  attached,  "  Reviendra  aux  Pri- 
entemps." 

One  circumstance  that  greatly  favored  our 
scheming  was  the  treatment  accorded  France  by 
the  Allies.  All  the  territory  and  other  advantage 
that  France  had  gained  during  the  long  years  of 
war  at  such  fearful  cost  in  the  lives  of  her  citizens 
was  stripped  from  her,  and  she  was  left  as  at  the 
beginning  of  the  Revolution.  The  pride  of 
France  rose  at  this  humiliation,  and  she  began  to 
think  with  affection  of  the  man  under  whose 
leadership  she  had  been  the  arbiter  of  the  destinies 
of  all  Europe. 

It  is  not  to  be  denied  that  Marshal  Ney  took  part 
in  this  plotting.  In  view  of  the  fact  that  he  had 
accepted,  or  rather  retained,  high  rank  in  the  army 
under  the  Bourbons,  this  conduct  would  look  like 
treachery,  and  indeed  it  was  held  by  many  to  be 
such.  I  do  not  wholly  excuse  Ney  in  this  matter ; 
but  this  much  can  be  said.  He  tried  to  serve  the 
Bourbons  with  all  sincerity  and  vigor,  until  he 
became  convinced  that  their  rule  was  an  impossi- 
bility ;  then  he  began  to  think  of  his  old  com- 
mander. 

Next  to  Napoleon,  Ney  was  the  leader  with 
whose   career   mine  had   been   most  closely  inter- 


120  UNDER   TWO   CAPTAINS. 


woven.  In  Spain  and  in  Russia  I  had  shared  his 
fortunes;  I  was  with  him  in  this  matter,  and  in  the 
time  then  a  part  of  the  unknown  Future,  in  that 
supreme  moment  in  the  annals  of  war,  the  closing 
scene  at  Waterloo,  I  was  to  be  at  his  side  as  one  of 
his  aides.  I  was  intimately  associated  with  Ney 
in  this  matter ;  but  I  shall  not  put  the  blame  of 
my  act  upon  him  and  say  :  "  Ney  tempted  me 
and  I  did  plot."  I  see  now,  as  I  did  not  see  then, 
that  Napoleon's  return  meant  only  new  turmoil 
and  bloodshed.  It  was  not  my  plotting  alone,  or 
perhaps  to  any  marked  extent,  that  brought  Napo- 
leon back  from  Elba  ;  but  I  am  ready,  as  an  old 
man  settling  up  his  accounts  with  life,  to  plead  : 
Me  a  culpa. 

So  in  the  course  of  human  events  it  befell  that 
on  a  certain  day  at  the  end  of  February,  1815, 
France  was  treated  to  what  she  dearly  loved,  viz. : 
a  great  surprise.  From  mouth  to  mouth  it  was 
repeated  during  the  next  days.  Napoleon  has  come 
back  to  France.  Already  the  quick-witted  French- 
men felt  the  grip  of  the  master's  hand  on  the  helm 
of  state,  and,  weary  as  they  were  of  the  Bourbon 
farce,  most  of  them  rejoiced  at  the  coming 
revolution. 

Then  it  could  be  clearly  seen  what  power  there 
is  in  a  name.  At  the 'name  of  Napoleon  the  old 
spell  that  his  personality  had  so  long  exerted  fell 


A  ROMANCE  OF  ///STORK  121 


upon  men  and  robbed  them  of  their  reason.  His 
old  soldiers  in  particular,  who  had  been  so  rudely 
treated  by  the  Bourbons,  felt  that  now  the  day  of 
their  deliverance  was  at  hand,  and  every  road 
leading  south  was  dotted  with  groups  of  them 
hurrying  to  welcome  their  great  chief.  On  the 
5  th  of  March  a  large  force  stationed  at  Grenoble 
joined  him  in  a  body.  At  Lyons  an  army  under 
Bourbon  command  had  been  placed  to  check  his 
progress ;  but  the  troops  went  over  to  Napoleon. 

Marshal  Ney  had  promised  Louis  XVIII.  to 
bring  Napoleon  to  Paris  in  an  iron  cage  ;  but, 
whatever  he  may  have  meant  by  his  promise,  he 
did  a  very  different  thing  and  joined  the  lion's 
following.  By  this  time  Paris  had  become  a  very 
uncomfortable  place  of  residence  for  the  Bourbons, 
and  so  they  and  theirs  flitted  to  Belgium  or  to 
England. 

The  Hundred  Days,  as  the  period  from  Napo- 
leon's return  until  the  Day  of  Waterloo  came  to 
be  called,  was  a  time  of  the  intensest  activity. 
The  giant  mind  of  Europe  was  working  in  many 
directions,  as  in  diplomacy  ;  but  most  of  all  in 
preparing  for  the  inevitable  crash  of  War.  And  it 
was  marvellous  what  a  master  in  the  art  of  War 
could  do,  even  in  a  few  months  and  in  a  land  so 
completely  drained  of  its  resources  as  was  France. 
An  army  of  360,000  men  was  raised  and  equipped 


122  UNDER   TWO   CAPTAINS, 

in  this  brief  time,  and  Napoleon  claimed  that, 
could  he  have  had  a  few  weeks  more  in  which  to 
labor,  he  would  have  surrounded  France  with  a 
wall  of  brass  which  no  earthly  power  would  have 
been  able  to  break  through. 

But  the  war-clouds  were  fast  gathering  to  the 
north,  where  that  stubborn  old  fighter.  Marshal 
Bliicher,  and  the  adroit  Wellington  were  about  to 
mass  their  forces  to  descend  upon  France.  To  the 
north  then  Napoleon  hurried  with  an  army  of 
124,000,  attacking  and  defeating  Blucher  at  Ligny 
the  day  after  he  crossed  the  Belgian  frontier.  On 
the  same  day  Ney  attacked  the  British  at  Quatre 
Bras  ;  but  was  repulsed  and  fell  back  on  the  village 
of  Waterloo.  Blucher  also  headed  his  army  for 
this  point,  and  the  situation  now  resolved  itself 
into  this.  Marshal  Grouchy  with  34,000  men 
must  hold  Bliicher  back  from  Waterloo,  while 
Napoleon  attacked  Wellington  in  that  vicinity. 
In  case  Grouchy  could  not  hold  the  Prussian  army 
in  check,  then  he  was  to  hasten  to  join  Napoleon. 
These  plans  once  determined.  Napoleon  hastened 
with  an  army  of  80,000  to  meet  Wellington  who 
had  an  equal  force. 

The  1 8th  day  of  June  was  the  memorable  Day 
of  Waterloo,  and  it  came  preceded  by  a  half  day 
and  a  night  of  heavy  rain  which  made  the  ground 
soft  and  in  places  almost  impassable  for  artillery. 


A   ROMANCE  OF  HISTORY.  123 


Accordingly  Napoleon  delayed  the  hour  of  battle 
until  nearly  noon,  trusting  to  Grouchy  to  hold  the 
Prussians  back. 

The  story  of  Waterloo  is  an  old  one,  and  it  has 
been  often  and  eloquently  told  Accordingly  I 
shall  not  dwell  upon  its  dramatic  scenes  further 
than  to  give  a  sketch  of  the  battle  and  to  recount 
my  own  part  in  it.  The  enemy's  forces  were 
drawn  up  on  rising  ground  in  the  form  of  a 
crescent  a  mile  and  a  half  in  length,  the  concave 
side  being  turned  towards  us.  We  held  the  next 
ridge  500 — 800  yards  distant.  About  half  way 
between  the  armies  stood  the  stone  chateau  of 
Hougoumont  held  by  a  strong  force  of  British  ; 
also  the  hamlet  of  INIont  St.  Jean  and  the  farm  of 
La  Haie  Sainte,  also  strongly  garrisoned  by  the 
British. 

The  events  of  the  battle,  told  in  the  fewest 
words,  were  these  :  At  half  past  eleven  the  first 
attack  was  made  on  Hougoumont ;  but  the  chateau 
remained  in  the  hands  of  the  British.  The  Prus- 
sians under  Biilow  were  then  repulsed,  and  Napo- 
leon determined  to  break  Wellington's  centre.  To 
this  end  Ney  was  ordered  to  carry  La  Haie  Sainte. 
I  was  by  Ney's  side  and  can  testify  that  the  British 
gave  us  some  of  the  hottest  fighting  we  ever  exper- 
ienced. We  carried  their  position,  but  were  then 
checked  in  our  farther  advance  by  the  forces  under 


124  UNDER   TWO   CAPTAINS, 

Picton  and  Ponsonby.  Until  half  past  three  the 
fighting  here  was  most  desperate  and  without  a 
moment's  breathing  spell.  Then  there  was  a 
slight  pause,  our  forces  giving  their  strongest 
efforts  to  the  capture  of  Hougoumont ;  but  in 
vain.  Wellington  now  attempted  to  re-take  La 
Haie  Sainte ;  but  we  hurled  him  back.  Ney  then 
sent  to  Napoleon  for  re-inforcements,  that  he 
might  make  a  counter  charge  and  break  the  Brit- 
ish lines. 

Napoleon  had  already  weakened  his  reserves  and 
could  send  us  only  a  small  force,  not  more  than 
enough  to  enable  us  to  hold  our  position.  Simply 
to  do  this,  he  afterwards  claimed,  had  been  his 
orders,  thus  putting  the  responsibility  for  the 
defeat  at  Waterloo  on  Ney's  shoulders.  Ney  may 
have  been  so  beside  himself  with  the  rage  of  battle 
as  to  disregard  the  command  of  his  chief ;  but  on 
the  other  hand,  as  we  have  already  seen,  even 
Napoleon  could  forget,  and  he  was  not  above  clear- 
ing himself  at  the  cost  of  another. 

So  it  happened  that,  as  soon  as  re-inforcements 
reached  us,  Ney  gave  the  command  to  charge  and 
on  we  rushed  into  the  British  centre.  Had  the 
mass  of  our  attacking  force  been  half  again  its 
weight,  we  should  most  certainly  have  swept  the 
British  from  the  field.  As  it  was,  the  enemy's 
lines  reeled  and  staggered  before  the  impact  of  our 


A  ROMANCE  OF  HISTORY.  125 


charge,  gave  a  little  space  ;  but  then  stood,  as  if 
rooted  to  the  ground,  and  could  not  be  moved  one 
foot  farther. 

Nevertheless,  while  we  had  not  succeeded  in  our 
charge,  we  had  not  been  repulsed ;  but  by  repeated 
charges  and  destructive  artillery  fire  held  the 
advance  we  had  gained.  In  other  parts  of  the 
field  our  forces  had  been  in  the  main  successful, 
so  that,  as  the  sun  began  to  near  his  setting,  it 
looked  as  though  Waterloo  were  to  be  added  to  the 
mighty  array  of  the  victories  of  Napoleon. 

All  now  depended  upon  an  unknown  quantity 
or  quantities  in  the  form  of  the  two  armies  linger- 
ing somewhere  just  out  of  sight.  Would  either 
of  them  appear  on  the  field  of  Waterloo  that  day 
to  turn  the  scale  ?  If  so,  which  force  would  it  be, 
Grouchy's  Frenchmen  or  Blucher's  Prussians? 
Soon  after  five,  bugles  were  heard  in  the  distance 
to  our  right.  Who  was  it?  It  was  Bliicher,  for 
the  banners  were  those  of  Prussia. 

For  Napoleon  it  was  now  the  hour  of  Fate,  and 
he  realized  that  fact  most  keenly.  At  once  he 
called  his  reserve  and,  most  of  all,  the  Old  Guard 
to  the  rescue.  Perhaps  you  do  not  know  what  that 
Old  Guard  was,  or  the  part  it  had  played  before 
all  Europe.  It  was  the  very  flower  of  the  French 
Army  and  its  ranks  were  kept  filled  with  such 
only  as  had  seen  long  service.     Its  record  was  on^ 


126  UNDER    TWO    CAPTAINS. 


glorious  story  of  triumph   on  liard-fought   fields, 
and  never  had  it  tasted  defeat. 

Was  this  to  be  the  hour  of  its  brightest  glory,  or 
of  its  crushing  ruin  ? 

The  enemy  realized  as  keenly  as  ourselves  that 
this  was  the  moment  of  destiny,  and  as  the  Guard 
moved  forward  in  all  the  stern  magnificence  of 
War,  their  artillery  ceased  firing  and  for  the 
moment  there  was  an  awful  silence,  such  as  one 
might  imagine  would  precede  the  day  of  doom. 
Doom  it  was  for  Napoleon  and  his  devoted  sol- 
diers. The  enemy  had  ceased  firing  only  that 
they  might  the  more  effectually  compass  our 
destruction.  At  the  instant  when  we  were  fully 
exposed  their  batteries  opened  upon  us  with  a 
most  deadly  fire.  Before  that  hail  of  death  rank 
after  rank  went  down  almost  as  completely  as 
grain  before  the  reaper's  scythe.  On  we  pressed, 
without  an  instant  of  faltering,  over  the  windrows 
of  the  dead  and  dying  up  to  their  guns  and, 
striking  down  the  gunners,  broke  our  way  through 
the  British  lines.  Just  then  was  the  exact 
moment  of  our  destruction.  From  behind  a  low 
ridge  there  sprang  up  file  after  file  of  infantry, 
firing  volley  upon  volley  into  our  very  faces. 
Volley  followed  upon  volley  without  pause  or  ces- 
sation, until  the  earth  seemed  to  vomit  fire  and 
death   into   our  faces,  and   we    broke   and  fled  as 


A   ROMANCE  OF  HISTORY.  127 


before  the  overflow  of  a  volcano,  thrown  back  by 
the  very  explosion  of  their  guns. 

In  the  carnage  through  which  we  passed  Ney 
had  five  horses  shot  under  him  and  now,  black- 
ened and  burnt  with  powder,  he  fought  on  foot, 
and  by  almost  superhuman  efforts  formed  those 
nearest  him  into  two  great  squares,  that  he  might 
check  the  frenzied  rush  toward  the  rear.  Won- 
derful to  say,  he  was  on  the  point  of  succeeding 
in  this  effort,  when  Bliicher's  30,000  Prussians 
reached  the  spot  and  swept  our  shattered  ranks 
before  them.  These  Prussians  had  many  an  old 
score  to  settle,  and  they  struck  hard  and  vengeful 
blows,  following  us  up  in  relentless  pursuit  all  that 
night.  Whether  or  not  the  cry  was  raised,  "The 
Old  Guard  dies,  but  never  surrenders,"  I  cannot 
say.  I  can  say  that  thousands  did  die  on  that  field 
of  carnage,  and  that  other  thousands  were  driven 
in  blind  confusion  from  the  field  and  afterwards 
captured  by  the  victorious  enemy. 

As  for  Napoleon  he  would  gladly  have  died  in 
the  thick  of  the  battle,  but  Marshal  Soult  urged 
him  almost  by  main  force  from  the  field  aud  hur- 
ried him  off  for  Paris.  En  route,  he  took  poison; 
but  his  purpose  changing  or  his  courage  failing, 
he  took  an  antidote  and  recovered.  Once  in  Paris, 
he  saw  that  all  was  indeed  lost,  and  signed  an  act 
of  abdication   and   then   fled    from  the   city.     His 


128  UNDER   TWO   CAPTAINS. 


last  hope  was  to  escape  to  the  United  States  ;  but, 
frustrated  in  this  plan,  nothing  remained  for  him 
but  to  choose  the  one  of  his  enemies  to  whom  he 
would  surrender.  He  paid  the  English  the  com- 
pliment of  selecting  them,  and  sent  word  to  that 
effect  to  the  commander  of  a  British  vessel  oflf 
Rochefort.  The  Englishman  took  his  famous 
prisoner  to  Torbay,  whence,  as  you  well  know,  he 
was  taken  to  his  island  prison  of  St.  Helena. 
Here  after  nearly  six  years  of  captivity  the  Lion 
of  France  died. 

Was  Napoleon  a  great  man  ?  As  the  world 
reckons,  most  assuredly,  yes.  Was  he  great  and 
good,  a  Washington,  or  even  a  Lafayette  ? 

Alas,  no.  He  lived,  not  for  humanity  or  even 
for  his  country,  as  he  was  wont  to  declare ;  but  for 
Self.  He  died,  admired  or  reviled,  as  it  might  be; 
but,  save  here  and  there  by  a  faithful  few,  unloved 
and  unwept. 


CHAPTER  IX. 
UNDER   THE   SHADOW. 

pLATO  lias  told  us  many  interesting  things 
about  Justice,  but  there  is  one  circumstance 
that  has  come  into  prominence  since  his  day 
This  is  the  fact  that  the  meshes  of  the  great  drag- 
net of  Justice  are  so  constructed  that  they  catch 
the  little  fish,  while  letting  the  big  ones  get  away. 
Napoleon,  the  aforetime  conqueror  of  Europe  and 
arbiter  of  the  fate  of  kings,  was  given  a  whole 
island  for  his  prison  and  treated  as  a  kingly  guest. 
Marshal  Ney,  General  Rigaud,  Colonel  Labe- 
doyere,  myself  and  some  few  others  who  had  stood 
loyally  by  our  chief  in  the  time  of  his  exile  were 
seized  by  the  Bourbon  authorities  on  our  return 
from  Waterloo,  thrown  into  prison  and  sentenced 
to  be  shot.  It  is  true  that  after  the  explosion  of 
the  infernal  machine  in  the  Place  de  Carrousel^ 
Napoleon  caused  the  execution  or  banishment  of 
scores  of  his  enemies ;  yet  there  was  but  scant 
comfort  for  us  in  this  fact  of  precedence.  How- 
ever for  several  of  us  the  ordering  of  the  Bourbon 
monarch  was  not  to  be  the  ordering  of  Destiny  or, 
as  I  prefer  to  say,  of  Providence. 

9  129 


130  UNDER    TWO   CAPTAINS, 

How  the  vengeance  of  a  king  was  set  aside  by 
a  mightier  hand,  is  a  story  worth  the  telling. 

Except  for  a  few  scratches  and  powder  burns, 
Marshal  Ney  and  myself  found  ourselves  unhurt 
after  all  the  terrible  slaughter  through  which  we 
passed  on  the  Day  of  Waterloo.  Side  by  side  we 
were  swept  from  the  plateau  of  Mont  St.  Jean  by 
the  rush  of  Bliicher's  Prussians,  defending  our- 
selves as  by  instinct  whenever  any  of  the  enemy 
crowded  us  too  closely.  How  we  escaped  from  the 
field  or  even  made  our  way  to  Paris,  I  cannot 
recall.  Utter  exhaustion,  or  depression  of  spirit 
rather,  had  come  over  both  of  us,  and  we  made 
that  sad  journey  almost  without  exchanging  an 
unnecessary  word. 

On  our  return  to  Paris  we  met  with  a  reception 
that  might  have  given  less  modest  men  an  exag- 
gerated notion  of  their  own  importance.  We  were 
seized,  almost  on  our  arrival,  by  the  police,  as 
dangerous  to  the  peace  of  France,  and  put  in  close 
confinement  until  our  execution.  Just  here  I 
would  pay  the  police  of  Paris  the  compliment  of 
saying  that  what  they  do  not  know  of  the  affairs 
of  their  city  belongs  to  the  category  of  such 
things  as  have  never  either  happened  or  been 
thought  about.  Afterwards  I  learned  that  every 
trifling  act  of  my  insignificant  self,  in  the  days 
when   Napoleon   was   in   Elba   had   been   put   on 


A   ROMANCE  OF  HISTORY.  131 


record,  and  that  my  fate  had  been  decided  long 
before  my  arrest. 

Before  telling  my  own  experience  during  those 
awful  mouths  spent  under  the  shadow  of  death, 
it  is  fitting  that  I  should  tell  the  fate  of  my 
superior  officer  and  former  commander,  Marshal 
Ney.  You  doubtless  know  what  the  historians 
say  of  his  execution.  It  is  about  this :  After 
every  eflfort  to  secure  his  pardon  had  failed,  Ney 
was  finally  taken  from  prison  to  be  shot.  At  the 
place  of  execution  he  was  put  before  a  file  of 
soldiers,  whom  he  faced  without  flinching.  Plac- 
ing his  hand  on  his  heart,  he  cried  :  "  Vive  la 
France  f''  and  said:  "  Fellow-soldiers,  fire  here." 
The  volley  was  fired,  and  the  "bravest  of  the 
brave"  lay  dead  before  them. 

This  is  a  very  thrilling  episode  of  History, 
yet  there  is  one  criticism  that  must  be  passed 
upon  it.  It  never  happened,  or  at  least  happened 
with  one  important  variation.  There  is  only  one 
strictly  accurate  historian,  viz :  the  Recording 
Angel  ;  all  the  others  are  fallible. 

But  first  let  me  say  a  few  words  about  Ney's 
remarkable  career,  then  I  will  tell  you  the  true 
story  of  his  execution. 

Marshal  Ney  was  of  humble  birth,  his  parents 
being  plain  people,  his  father  an  Alsatian  and  his 
mother  Scotch.     The  father  had  seen  service  and 


132  UNDER    TWO   CAPTAINS, 

the  son's  soldierly  gifts  were  developed  at  an  early 
age.  He  had  a  good  elementary  education,  with 
some  study  of  Latin  and  of  Law.  But  the  pen  of 
the  lawyer,  dangerous  as  it  sometimes  is,  was  not 
to  be  Ney's  weapon.  While  still  a  youth  he  found 
himself  in  the  army,  and  his  soldierly  qualities, 
joined  with  modesty,  dashing  bravery  and  unusual 
consideration  for  his  men,  soon  won  him  promo- 
tion. His  public  career  you  know.  His  greatest 
achievement  was,  doubtless,  his  conduct  of  the 
retreat  from  Russia.  Napoleon  appreciated  this 
so  fully  that  he  said  at  the  time  that  he  would 
rather  lose  a  fund  of  sundry  millions  that  he 
had  in  his  treasury  vaults  in  Paris  than  lose 
Ney. 

The  story  of  Ney's  execution  is  this.  While 
his  pardon  could  not  be  secured,  it  was  neverthe- 
less a  fact  that  he  had  influential  friends  who  were 
resolved  to  take  the  most  desperate  chances  to  save 
his  life.  One  of  these  had  charge  of  his  execution 
and  halted  the  squad  at  a  lonely  spot  on  the  way  to 
the  appointed  place  of  execution.  Then  Ney  was 
placed  against  a  blank  wall  and  the  soldiers  fired, 
directing  their  aim,  however,  at  a  point  just  above 
his  head.  Ney  fell,  as  he  had  been  instructed,  and 
doubtless  had  a  most  trying  time  for  the  next  hour 
or  so  playing  the  part  of  a  dead  man.  His  empty 
coffin    was    duly   buried,  but  the  supposed  occu- 


A   ROMANCE  OF  HISTORY.  183 


pant  v/as  meanwhile  making  a  swift  journey  for 
America. 

After  a  year  or  so  spent  in  close  retirement  and 
study,  in  Charleston,  I  believe,  Ney  put  in  his 
appearance  in  Rowan  County,  North  Carolina, 
under  the  name  of  Peter  Stuart  Nay,  and  opened  a 
private  school  for  boys.  As  he  was  kept  supplied 
with  funds  by  friends  in  France,  he  took  up  teach- 
ing merely  as  a  congenial  occupation.  The  old 
warrior's  career  as  a  pedagogue  was  on  the  whole  a 
successful  one.  I  was  told  that  he  was  known  and 
loved  for  his  kindly  disposition,  except  when  pro- 
voked, and  then,  as  of  old,  his  blazing  anger  would 
make  the  boldest  tremble.  He  is  said  to  have  been 
subject  to  spells  of  depression,  generally  on  receipt 
of  letters  from  abroad.  Occasionally  at  such  times 
he  would  drink  heavily,  and  would  then  make 
admission  of  his  identity.  At  intervals  he  received 
visits  from  foreigners  who  evidently  were  men  of 
standing.  It  was  my  privilege  to  make  him  one 
short  visit  and  also  to  receive  one  from  him  at  my 
home  in  Indiana,  when  we  enjoyed  the  bitter-sweet 
experience  of  living  over  the  Past  and  its  many 
stirring  memories.  He  died  at  a  good  age,  not  in 
Paris  before  the  muskets  of  the  soldiers,  but 
quietly  in  his  bed  in  North  Carolina,  where  his 
ashes  rest  to-day. 

General  Rigaud  also  escaped  his  impending  fate, 


134  UNDER    TWO   CAPTAINS, 

I  am  told,  but  of  his  experiences  I  have  no 
account. 

As  for  my  own  lot  at  this  most  trying  time,  I 
would  say  that  I  can  never  forget  the  slow  agony  of 
those  months  in  prison  under  the  black  shadow. 
It  was  not  that  I  feared  to  die,  for  many  was  the 
time,  in  the  vortex  of  battle,  that  I  expected 
death  and  cared  not  though  I  had  to  die,  provided 
only  that  the  victory  came  to  us.  In  the  glorious 
excitement  of  battle  a  brave  man  thinks  or  cares 
but  little  about  death  ;  but  as  one  sits,  week  after 
week,  in  a  prison  cell  facing  the  thought  of  being 
led  out  and  shot  like  a  rabid  dog,  death  takes  on 
another  aspect  and  becomes  indeed  the  King  of 
Terrors. 

In  those  long  weeks  that  ran  into  the  months  I 
reviewed  alike  the  present  situation  and  my  past 
life  most  earnestly.  Among  men  there  was  none 
of  whom  I  knew  to  help  me,  so  with  all  the  fervor 
of  my  soul  I  committed  myself  to  God.  The 
prayers  of  David,  lighted  up  by  the  pure  light  of 
the  Christian's  faith,  were  my  especial  solace. 
With  David  I  prayed:  "My  God,  my  God,  why 
hast  thou  forsaken  me  ?  Our  fathers  trusted  in 
Thee  :  they  trusted,  and  Thou  didst  deliver  them. 
They  cried  unto  Thee  and  were  delivered  :  they 
trusted  in  Thee,  and  were  not  ashamed. ' ' 

"The   cords    of   death    compassed  me,  and   the 


A   ROMANCE  OF  HISTORY.  m 


floods  of  ungodliness  made  me  afraid.  The  cords 
of  Sheol  were  round  about  me  :  the  snares  of  death 
came  upon  me." 

Many  a  time  in  my  career  in  the  Army  or  while 
at  Court  I  had  upheld  the  Christian  faith  before 
scoffers,  would  my  Lord  now  remember  me  ? 

My  answer  came  from  the  mouth  of  David  :  "In 
my  distress  I  called  upon  the  Lord,  and  cried  unto 
my  God,  He  heard  my  voice  out  of  His  temple, 
and  my  cry  before  Him  came  into  His  ears.  For 
Thou  hast  girded  me  with  strength  unto  the 
battle.  Thou  hast  subdued  under  me  those  that 
rose  up  against  me.  He  rescueth  me  from  mine 
enemies.  Yea,  Thou  liftest  me  up  above  them 
that  rise  up  against  me :  Thou  deliverest  me  from 
the  violent  man." 

In  the  light  of  such  assurances  as  these  and  in 
the  comfort  of  the  Christian's  faith  and  hope,  I  be- 
came reconciled  to  whatever  might  be  the  orderinsf 
for  me  of  the  great  hand  of  God,  The  bitterness 
of  death  had  passed  away,  and  I  was  quietly  await- 
ing the  coming  of  the  8th  of  December,  which  was 
to  be  my  last  day  on  earth,  when  the  hand  of  the 
Lord  was  revealed. 

My  jailer  brought  me  a  well-baked  and  appetiz- 
ing cake  which,  he  said,  the  Countess  of  Blank 
had  paid  him  to  give  me.  I  had  not  heard  this 
name  for  years,  but  I  at  once  remembered  it  as  that 


136  UNDER    TWO    CAPTAINS, 

of  one  of  the  truly  great  ladies  of  France  whom  I 
had  helped  long  since  when  she  was  in  a  situation 
of  great  distress.  As  soon  as  I  was  alone  I  broke 
open  the  cake  and  found  within  a  steel  file  and, 
wrapped  about  it,  a  scrap  of  paper  with  a  street 
address  written  on  it.  I  enjoyed  the  cake,  but  you 
will  believe  me  when  I  say  that  I  enjoyed  the  file 
even  more.  That  night  I  tried  its  quality  upon 
the  bars  of  my  window,  and  the  next  night, 
December  7th,  which  was  to  be  my  last  one  in 
prison  and  on  earth,  I  cut  the  bars  and  made  my 
escape. 

The  circumstances  of  my  escape  were  not  with- 
out interest,  at  least  for  myself.  I  had  made  a  rope 
of  my  bed  clothes,  and,  letting  myself  down  to  the 
end  of  this,  I  swung  clear  of  the  wall  and  dropped. 
A  most  painful  experience  resulted.  Just  beneath 
me,  fixed  in  timbers  and  covered  with  shallow 
water,  were  sharp  spikes  pointing  upward,  and 
upon  some  of  these  my  feet  struck.  You  can 
imagine  the  pain,  but  I  had  no  time  to  stop  to  con- 
sider that.  Loosing  my  feet  from  the  spikes,  I 
slowly  picked  my  way,  sliding  my  feet  between  the 
points  until  I  came  to  the  outer  wall  of  the  prison. 
This  I  scaled,  but,  as  I  leaped  to  the  ground,  there 
stood  a  sentinel  with  leveled  musket.  I  said  to 
him  :  "  Do  your  duty  ;  "  but  the  man  was  one  of 
my   old   soldiers,   and  lowering  his   weapon    and 


A   ROMANCE  OF  HISTORY.  I3t 


facing  about,  he  said  :  "  Pass  on,  Colonel  Lehma- 
nowsky." 

I  very  cheerfully  obeyed  his  order  and  made  my 
way  to  the  address  that  had  been  sent  me.  Here  I 
found  a  friend  who  bandaged  my  feet,  and  then  we 
returned  part  of  the  way,  wiping  up  or  covering  my 
bloody  tracks.  The  cold  water  over  the  spikes  had 
stayed  the  flow  of  blood  somewhat,  and  aided  us  in 
our  effort  at  preventing  detection.  Returning  with 
my  friend  to  the  house,  I  was  shown  to  a  room  in 
the  cellar  which  had  been  constructed  for  my  use, 
being  furnished  with  an  air  shaft.  In  this  under- 
ground retreat  I  remained  most  contentedly  until 
my  wounds  were  healed  and  the  excitement  caused 
by  my  escape  had  subsided. 

It  was  not  with  the  good  will  of  the  Bourbon 
regime  that  I  had  left  my  prison  quarters,  for  most 
diligent  search  was  made  for  me,  and  handbills 
were  printed,  giving  a  complete  description  of  my 
insignificant  self,  and  offering  a  much  larger 
amount  for  my  arrest  than  I  had  ever  considered 
myself  worth. 

All  this  commotion,  and  especially  the  circula- 
tion of  those  handbills,  made  the  problem  of  my 
departure  from  Paris  a  somewhat  involved  one. 
It  is  hardly  necessary  to  state  that  I  did  not 
attempt  to  leave  Paris  in  uniform.  A  very  plain 
outfit  of  citizen's  clothes  satisfied  my  desires,  and 


138  UNDER   TWO   CAPTAINS, 

thus  arrayed,  and  furnished  with  a  forged  pass,  I 
presented  myself  at  the  gates  of  the  city.  But  the 
guards  distrusted  me  and  refused  me  passage,  tell- 
ing me  to  return  a  little  later  when  the  officer  in 
charge  would  be  present.  I  did  not  find  it  conve- 
nient to  come  again,  but  had  a  couple  of  friends 
lower  me  over  the  wall  that  night  at  a  point  where 
I  could  be  rowed  across  the  Seine.  I  took  this 
farewell  of  Paris  toward  morning,  and,  with  so 
early  a  start  and  with  a  great  ambition  to  leave 
Paris  behind  me,  I  covered  a  number  of  miles  that 
day  that  you  would  scarcely  believe  to  be  possible, 
were  I  to  tell  you  the  count. 

Avoiding  the  larger  towns  and  travelling  for  the 
most  part  in  the  early  morning  or  toward  dusk,  I 
finally  reached  the  neighborhood  of  Amsterdam. 
Here  I  once  more  tried  the  virtue  of  my  pass,  but 
it  was  not  honored,  and  I  was  glad  to  beat  a  hasty 
retreat  from  the  presence  of  the  officials.  In  this 
vicinity,  I  heard,  a  general,  who  was  an  old  acquaint- 
ance of  mine,  was  reviewing  his  troops.  I  made 
my  way  to  him  and  asked  of  him  a  pass.  He 
refused  me  with  the  words  :  "I  have  a  warrant  for 
your  arrest,  but  make  your  escape." 

By  this  time  it  had  become  clear  to  me  that  the 
Continent  of  Europe  had  become  just  a  little  too 
small  for  one  like  myself  who  had  gained  the  ill- 
will  of  the  ruling  powers.     Accordingly,  I  began 


A  ROMANCE  OF  HISTORY.  139 

to  think  with   much  affection  of  America  as  the 
true  and  only  land  of  the  free,  and  so  I  made  my 
way  to  the  port  and  inquired  for  a  vessel  bound 
for   America.     Fortunately  there  was  one  at  the 
dock  just  on  the  point  of  sailing.     The  Captain 
was  an  American,  and  I  loved  that  man  on  sight 
for  his  strong  and  open  expression.     I  felt  as  by 
instinct  that  he  was  a  man  to  be  trusted,  and  I 
frankly  told  him  the  essentials  of  my  story  in  a 
few  words.     He  listened  with  the  closest  interest, 
but  said  that  he  could  not  take  me  as  a  passenger. 
He  added,  however,  as  I  was  about  to  turn  away  in 
despair  :  "Go  down  into  the  hold  of  the  ship  and 
put  on  sailor's  clothes  and  daub  some  tar  on  your 
face,  and  be  on  deck  with  the  sailors  when  we 
start."     These  instructions  I  most  gladly  followed, 
working  so  industriously  at  cleaning  up  the  deck 
that  I  never  once  straightened  up  to  my  full  height 
until  we  were  well  under  way.     When  the  ship 
had  passed  fairly  out  of  the  harbor,  the  Captain 
told  me  to  wash,  put  on  my  own  clothes  and  make 
myself  comfortable.     The  North    Sea   in    Winter 
may  not  be  considered  by  some  as  an  ideal  spot  ; 
but,  as  we  passed  out  upon  its   troubled  waters, 
making  our  difficult   course   toward  the  English 
Channel  and  the  broad  Atlantic  beyond,  I  thought 
its  sharp  winds  were  laden  with  the  very  elixir  of 
life. 


140  UNDER    TWO   CAtTAINS, 

The  ship  was  old  and  hardly  seaworthy  and  our 
voyage  was  a  rough  and  perilous  one  ;  but  to  one 
like  myself,  fleeing  from  the  grasp  of  Death,  every- 
thing seemed  right.  I  especially  enjoyed  the  Cap- 
tain's society,  for  he  was  as  true  a  man  as  ever  I 
met,  and  had,  moreover,  seen  much  of  lyife  and  its 
hardships,  having  followed  the  sea  from  boyhood, 
getting  a  taste  of  War  in  the  recent  struggle 
between  the  United  States  and  England.  Many 
were  the  pleasant  hours  we  spent  in  discussion  or  in 
living  over  the  most  interesting  of  our  varied 
experiences  ;  and  one  experience  we  were  destined 
to  undergo  together. 

Almost  the  whole  voyage  had  been  stormy  ;  but, 
as  we  neared  America,  we  ran  into  a  gale  that 
made  our  ship  quiver  and  groan  as  though  receiv- 
ing its  death-blow.  The  seams  opened  here  and 
there  and  soon  the  dismal  music  of  the  pumps  was 
added  to  the  howling  of  the  storm.  Despite  our 
incessant  labor  the  water  gained  upon  us,  and  it 
seemed  as  if  the  ship  must  founder.  There  was  no 
hope  that  the  ship's  boats  could  live  in  such  a  sea, 
and  the  Captain's  face  was  the  picture  of  gloom  as 
he  told  me  that  he  thought  we  should  have  to 
fight  our  last  battle  together.  I  answered  that 
such  indeed  might  be  the  case,  but  that  a  voice 
within  seemed  to  tell  me  the  opposite,  and  that 
with  his  permission  I  would  make  a  special  effort. 


A  ROMANCE  OF  HISTORY.  141 


Even  at  that  time  the  English  Bible  was  fairly 
well  known  to  me,  and  now,  without  quitting  my 
place  at  the  pumps,  I  lifted  up  my  voice  and  my 
soul  in  a  prayer  made  up  chiefly  of  some  of  its 
grandest  assurances  and  promises.  The  Captain 
and  his  whole  crew  were  wonderfully  encouraged 
by  this  prayer,  and  many  of  them  wept  at  the 
sound  of  the  words  of  Holy  Scripture  familiar  to 
them  in  childhood,  but  in  some  cases  long  ago 
neglected  and  forgotten.  As  we  toiled  on  and  I 
continued  to  use  the  strong  memory  that  has 
always  been  one  of  my  greatest  gifts  to  repeat 
passage  after  passage  of  Scripture  comfort,  the 
storm  began  to  abate  and  presently  we  found  that 
we  were  gaining  on  the  water  in  the  hold.  Then 
there  was  indeed  rejoicing  and  we  labored  with 
new  strength  to  rid  the  ship  of  water,  while  one 
and  then  another  of  the  sailors  assured  me  that 
never  again  would  he  make  a  voyage  without  a 
Bible  in  his  kit. 

At  last  the  happy  day  came  when  we  passed  the 
cape  of  the  Delaware  and  sailed  up  the  bay  and  the 
river  of  that  name,  gazing  with  delight  on  the 
fields  and  wooded  hills  to  our  left  that  were  just 
taking  on  the  fresh  green  of  early  spring.  Phila- 
delphia was  finally  reached  and  our  vessel  drawn 
up  to  her  dock.     Then,  after  a  hearty  farewell  to 


142  UNDER   TWO    CAPTAINS, 

the  Captain,  I  left  my  ark  of  refuge  and  stood  at 
long  last  on  the  soil  of  free  America. 

What  did  I  do  as  my  first  act  ?  There  was  only 
one  thing  I  could  rightly  do.  Stepping  aside  to  a 
secluded  spot  on  the  dock  between  some  barrels 
and  bales,  I  knelt  and  poured  out  my  heart  in 
words  of  thanksgiving  to  the  Lord  of  Hosts,  the 
Great  Shepherd  of  Israel. 

"  O  give  thanks  unto  the  Lord,  for  He  is  good  ; 
because  His  mercy  endureth  forever.  Let  them 
now  that  fear  the  Lord  say,  that  His  mercy  endur- 
eth forever.  The  Lord  is  on  my  side  ;  I  will  not 
fear:  what  can  man  do  unto  me  ?  It  is  better  to 
trust  in  the  Lord  than  to  put  confidence  in  princes. 
Thou  hast  thrust  sore  at  me  that  I  might  fall :  but 
the  Lord  helped  me.  The  Lord  is  my  strength 
and  song  and  is  become  my  salvation.  The  voice 
of  rejoicing  and  salvation  is  in  the  tabernacles  of 
the  righteous  :  the  right  hand  of  the  Lord  doeth 
valiantly.  I  shall  not  die,  but  live  and  declare  the 
works  of  the  Lord." 

So  I  prayed,  and,  as  I  arose  greatly  strengthened 
in  spirit,  I  found  an  elderly  man  of  dignified  bear- 
ing, dressed  in  a  fashion  that  I  had  never  before 
seen,  standing  beside  me.  He  laid  his  hand  on  my 
arm,  saying:  "Come,  go  with  me,"  and  I  followed, 
not  knowing  whether  for  good  or  for  evil. 


PART  II. 

• 

IN  THE   NEW  WORLD. 


CHAPTER  I. 
BEGINNING   LIFE   ANEW. 

'T'HE  old  gentleman  who  bade  me  go  with  him 
when  I  arose  from  my  prayer  proved  to  be  a 
Quaker  merchant,  who  had  been  drawn  to  the  spot 
by  the  sound  of  a  voice  coming  from  among  the 
piles  of  merchandise.  As  I  soon  found,  I  was  not 
arrested,  as  I  had  supposed,  but  was  being  taken  to 
a  comfortable  home  to  enjoy  the  most  generous 
hospitality.  And  I  did  enjoy  it,  I  assure  you. 
After  the  short  rations  we  had  on  shipboard,  and 
the  still  scantier  fare  I  had  lived  on  during  my 
forced  march  from  Paris  and  while  in  prison,  I  was 
prepared  to  furnish  the  bountiful  table  of  my  host 
with  at  least  one  appreciative  guest. 

That  evening  I  told  the  main  points  of  my  life- 
story  to  my  host  and  a  little  circle  of  his  Quaker 
friends.  Having  learned  of  their  principle  of 
opposition  to  all  War,  I  was  somewhat  surprised  to 
note  the  deep  interest  they  showed  in  my  account 
of  some  experiences  under  Napoleon.     They  had 

143 


144  UNDER   TWO    CAPTAINS. 


many  questions  to  ask  about  the  Battle  of  Water- 
loo in  particular,  for,  it  seemed,  some  of  their  Eng- 
lish relatives  who  did  not  belong  to  their  Society 
had  borne  a  part  here.  When  I  told  how  Welling- 
ton's squares  had  held  their  ground  like  oaks 
before  the  fury  of  our  charge,  these  men  of  Peace 
became  very  restless,  and  several  went  so  far  as  to 
wish  that  they  might  have  looked  on  that  sight. 

The  next  morning  my  host  seemed  to  have  some- 
thing on  his  mind  that  was  troubling  him.  Finally 
he  told  me  that  he  cared  but  little  for  the  vanities 
of  this  world,  and  that  plain  dress  was  ever  his 
choice ;  then  he  wound  up  by  suggesting  that  he 
advance  me  the  means  for  the  purchase  of  a  new 
suit  of  clothes.  There  was  nothing  superfluous  in 
this  suggestion,  for  the  clothes  I  was  wearing  had 
been  chosen  for  their  poor  appearance,  and  had 
seen  hard  service  on  my  journey  to  Amsterdam 
and  on  the  ocean.  Whether  or  not  the  coat  makes 
the  man,  I  shall  not  attempt  to  decide  ;  but  this 
much  I  know,  that  good  clothing  makes  a  marked 
difierence  in  the  treatment  the  wearer  receives,  and 
also  in  his  own  inner  consciousness. 

It  took  but  a  few  days  for  a  man  of  my  constitu- 
tion and  seasoning  to  become  rested  from  the 
fatigues  of  the  voyac;c,  and  then  I  called  my 
esteemed  friend  into  counsel  regarding  the  question 
of  my   future.     You    will   be   interested  to  know 


A  ROMANCE  OF  HISTORY.  145 


what  I  held  my  resources  or  assets  to  be  on  landing 
on  American  soil  and  beginning  life  anew. 

First  of  all,  I  might  be  pardoned  for  naming  my 
military  rank  of  Colonel  of  the  Ninth  Polish  Ivan- 
cers  of  the  Army  of  France.  This  title  represented 
twenty-two  years  of  young  manhood  given,  for  the 
most  part,  to  arduous  service  with  the  trying 
experiences  of  no  less  than  two  hundred  and  four 
battles,  of  scores  of  wounds  and  of  great  privation. 
However,  with  a  large  reward  offered  by  the  Bour- 
bon government  for  my  arrest,  this  asset  of  mili- 
tary rank  might  become,  as  I  saw,  a  mill-stone  to 
drag  me  under  the  waters. 

Next  to  my  army  record  I  might  be  inclined  to 
name  the  title,  Count  de  Bellevieu,  that  Napoleon 
had  bestowed  upon  me  on  his  return  from  Elba,  or 
to  reckon  on  the  documents  he  had  given  me,  enti- 
tling me  to  receive  a  fine  estate  from  the  French 
government.  As  for  the  title  I  fully  realized  that 
under  existing  circumstances  it  came  under  the 
sentence  of  the  Preacher:  "And  this,  too,  was 
vanity." 

After  discussing  the  situation  with  my  venerable 
friend,  I  decided  to  drop  the  latter  half  of  my 
name,  thus  changing  it  to  the  common  German 
one,  lychman,  and  also  to  reduce  myself  to  the 
rank  of  Major.  Thus  I  trusted  to  avoid  attracting 
attention,  and  to  free  myself  from  the  danger  of 

10 


146  UNDER    TWO   CAPTAINS, 

arrest  and  from  the  wretchedness  of  living  under  a 
cloud  of  dread. 

And  what,  you  may  ask,  became  of  my  claim  to 
the  estate  in  France?  I  shall  anticipate  my  story 
some  few  years  and  tell  you. 

Some  years  after  coming  to  America  I  called  on 
Joseph  Bonaparte  who  was  then  living  at  Borden- 
town.  New  Jersey.  Instead  of  showing  me  any- 
thing of  the  consideration  due  one  whom  he  had 
seen  hundreds  of  times  in  his  brother's  service,  and 
whom  he  knew  had  been  a  most  faithful  follower 
of  Napoleon,  he  treated  me  from  first  to  last  as  an 
imposter  or  beggar  of  whom  he  would  gladly  be 
rid.  Our  interview,  I  need  hardly  add,  was  a 
stormy  one.  However,  his  servant,  who  followed 
me  to  the  front  door,  paid  the  score.  This  fellow, 
a  large  and  most  pompous  specimen  of  the  flunkey 
tribe,  added  some  insult  of  his  own  as  I  was  leav- 
ing. I  could  endure  much  from  the  brother  of  my 
Emperor  ;  but  nothing  at  all  from  a  supercilious 
menial,  so  I  answered  his  insult  with  a  blow  from 
my  open  hand  that  sent  him  rolling  at  my  feet,  and 
walked  away,  feeling  somewhat  relieved. 

In  this  same  connection  I  may  as  well  tell  of  a 
visit  I  made  to  France  on  the  accession  of  Louis 
Napoleon.  The  lesson  I  brought  home  with  me 
was,  "  Put  not  your  trust  in  princes."  The  one  then 
ruling   France  found  it  convenient  to  forget  my 


A  ROMANCE  OF  HISTORY.  14T 


years  of  faithful  service  to  the  founder  of  his  house 
and  to  remember  only  that  I  bore  a  proscribed 
name.  Accordingly,  I  once  more  had  the  oppor- 
tunity of  studying  the  inside  appointments  of  a 
French  prison,  where  I  had  abundant  leisure  to 
indulge  in  some  choice  philosophical  reflections  on 
the  vanity  of  all  things  mundane.  The  influence 
of  a  powerful  friend  at  court  finally  secured  my 
release,  but  not  until  I  had  become  fully  convinced 
that  Providence  had  some  worthier  calling  in 
reserve  for  me  than  the  life  of  a  French  nobleman. 

But  to  return  to  the  question  of  my  assets  on 
beginning  life  as  an  American  citizen.  Rank  and 
title,  as  I  have  shown,  were  to  me  only  as  so  much 
smoke  in  the  eyes  as  I  stepped  into  the  new  life  ; 
but  I  had  some  better  stock  in  trade  than  these. 

I  had  super-abundant  health,  being  then  a  vigor- 
ous young  man  just  turned  of  forty.  Moreover  I 
had,  besides  my  military  training,  an  education  of 
a  completeness  none  too  common  in  America. 
Then  too,  in  the  hard  school  of  War  I  had  gained 
a  certain  practical  skill  that  put  me  on  a  very 
different  footing  from  those  who  pride  themselves 
on  a  so-called  aristocratic  helplessness.  Had 
manual  labor  been  the  first  thing  that  offered 
itself  to  me,  I  can  honestly  say  that  it  would  have 
been  promptly  and  cheerfully  accepted.  Finally  I 
had   for   my   stay   in  those   trying  days,   wheu   I 


148  UNDER    TWO   CAPTAINS. 


found  myself  a  stranger  in  the  land,  an  nnfaltering 
trust  in  the  God  who  led  Abraham  to  a  land  that 
he  knew  not,  but  that  the  Great  Friend  would 
show  him,  and  who  appeared  unto  Paul  and  said  : 
Fear  not ! 

The  question  of  making  a  living  in  the  New 
World  answered  itself,  as  it  were,  and  in  a  way 
that  was  as  natural  as  it  was  unexpected. 

The  son  of  my  kind  host,  who  by  the  way  was 
much  more  a  man  of  this  world  than  his  father, 
asked  me  to  go  with  him  to  a  concert.  After  we 
had  enjoyed  the  first  half  of  the  program,  my  new- 
found friend  insisted  on  introducing  me  to  several 
of  the  musicians.  As  we  sat  chatting  during  the 
recess  I  picked  up  a  guitar  and  played  a  little  on  it. 
Music,  I  might  say,  had  been  my  chief  recreation 
during  the  hours  and  days  of  idleness  that  come 
in  the  life  of  the  soldier,  and  those  New  World 
musicians  saw  at  once  that  they  could  learn  some- 
thing of  the  noble  art  at  my  hands,  and  promptly 
engaged  my  services  as  their  instructor.  Instruc- 
tion in  modern  languages  followed  naturally  upon 
this  first  employment,  and  so  it  happened  that 
within  a  month  or  two  the  homeless  wanderer, 
fleeing  from  the  wrath  of  a  king,  was  making  a 
comfortable  living  and  enjoying  the  pleasures  of 
cultured  society  in  the  land  of  Freedom  and  of 
the  Future. 


A  ROMANCE  OF  HISTORY.  149 

That  year  the  heat  of  Summer  fell  early  upon 
the  city  homes  and  streets,  and  most  of  my  pupils 
left  for  the  country  or  to  be  near  the  ocean.  As  I 
was  thus  temporarily  forsaken  and  had  some  little 
money  in  hand,  I  resolved  to  start  out  and  explore 
at  least  a  part  of  the  land.  It  was  with  all  the 
keen  relish  of  a  boy  starting  out  on  his  first  long 
vacation  that  I  marched  forth,  knapsack  on  back 
and  stick  in  hand,  to  make  a  peaceful  campaign  in 
rustic  America. 

Some  of  the  adjacent  places  made  famous  by  the 
deeds  of  the  great-hearted  Washington,  as  Valley 
Forge  and  the  Brandywine,  first  engaged  my  atten- 
tion. Then  I  turned  my  steps  northward  to  the 
Forks  of  the  Delaware  and  the  beautiful  Water 
Gap.  From  this  point  I  journeyed  westward  and 
southward  to  the  Valley  of  the  Lehigh  and  the 
towns  on  its  banks,  as  AUentown.  Thence  I  struck 
across  the  country  to  Reading  and  Lancaster. 

To  my  surprise  and  delight  I  found  in  most 
sections  a  New  Germany,  and  heard  again  the 
language  and  saw  again,  as  far  as  might  be  in 
America,  the  life  and  customs  I  had  come  to  know 
so  well  in  the  Old  World.  Stopping,  as  I  did,  with 
the  farmers  and  working  with  them  in  the  fields,  I 
could  readily  imagine  myself  in  some  quiet  comer 
of  South  Germany  or  in  the  Rhine  Country. 
Then  again  I  enjoyed  to  the  full  an  occasional  day 


150  UNDER   TWO   CAPTAINS, 

spent  in  exploring  the  forests  or  in  fishing  or  in 
some  other  way  entering  into  the  primitive  life  of 
the  New  World.  Between  the  labor  I  rendered  in 
the  fields  and  the  instruction  I  gave  the  young 
people  at  odd  hours  in  the  homes  I  had  the  satis- 
faction of  knowing  that  I  was  working  my  pass- 
age and  that  I  was  no  burden  on  my  hosts,  but  a 
welcome  guest.  Sometimes,  when  I  spent  a  few 
weeks  with  one  family,  the  farmer  would  insist  on 
my  taking  some  small  sum  of  money  for  my  ser- 
vices, and,  as  I  took  up  my  journey,  it  was  always 
with  such  a  supply  of  edibles  in  my  knapsack  as 
would  have  overcome  my  old  comrades  of  the 
armies  of  Napoleon  with  astonishment  and  envy. 

So  my  first  summer  in  America  slipped  most 
pleasantly  away  with  only  one  incident  of  special 
note.  I  hardly  know  how  to  describe  this  inci- 
dent, whether  as  my  first  Fourth  of  July  and  its 
Homeric  deeds  or  under  the  heading  of  the  Army 
in  Berks. 

At  the  beginning  of  July  I  found  myself  in 
Berks  County,  and  here  it  was  that  I  celebrated 
my  first  American  Fourth  of  July.  Hearing  that 
there  was  to  be  a  celebration  of  the  day  in  one  of 
the  larger  towns,  I  made  my  way  thither,  and  had 
the  unexpected  pleasure  of  taking  a  leading  part 
in  the  celebration.  After  some  speechifying  by  a 
lawyer  of  the  place  who  was  a  candidate  for  Con- 


A  ROMANCE  OF  HISTORY.  151 


gress,  the  choicest  part  of  the  celebration  was 
announced,  viz. :  a  drill  and  sham  battle  by  a  troop 
of  rustic  cavalry. 

These  were  gotten  together  from  the  various 
taverns  with  much  beating  of  a  big  drum  and 
drawn  up  in  battle  array.  The  Army  in  Berks,  as 
I  may  call  it,  presented  an  imposing  appearance, 
if  considered  by  the  standard  of  avordupois,  men 
and  horses  both  being  of  unusual  weight.  Their 
military  evolutions,  however,  would  hardly  have 
charmed  either  Napoleon  or  Ncy,  and,  in  spite 
of  myself,  I  was  moved  to  laughter  and  then  to 
speech. 

Thought  is  a  truly  noble  faculty,  putting  man 
at  the  head  of  creation  and  affording  him  some  of 
the  greatest  pleasures  of  life  ;  but  then  Thought 
must  not  be  held  as  one  with  Speech.  These  two 
faculties  should  be  kept  separate  in  our  minds,  and 
we  ought  most  carefully  to  observe  the  ratio  that 
wisdom   has   decreed  should   exist  between  them. 

There  was  no  harm  in  my  cherishing  the  belief 
that  one  experienced  soldier  could  scatter  the 
whole  rustic  troop ;  but  when  I  said  in  distinct 
words,  though  speaking  only  to  myself,  "  I  could 
whip  the  whole  of  them,"  trouble  followed,  as  it 
generally  does  follow  hasty  speech. 

A  by-stander  heard  my  statement  and  carried  it 
at  once  to  the  officer  in  command.     He  then  sent 


152  UNDER    TWO   CAPTAINS. 


for  me  and  demanded  to  know  whether  I  meant 
what  I  said.  I  told  him  that  I  did,  and  we  then 
took  up  the  all-important  question  of  the  plan  of 
battle.  I  suggested  various  approved  formations, 
beginning  with  the  phalanx  of  the  ancient  Greeks ; 
but  we  finally  decided  upon  the  following  arrange- 
ment and  terms  of  battle.  The  troop  was  to  be 
drawn  up  in  two  parallel  lines,  leaving  space 
between  for  me  to  pass.  This  idea,  I  believe, 
had  been  gotten  from  the  American  Indians,  and 
was  called  "running  the  gauntlet."  I  hinted  to 
the  Captain  that  the  place  of  honor  for  him  would 
be  at  the  head  of  one  of  the  lines ;  but  he  said 
that  he  considered  his  place  to  be  somewhat  to 
one  side,  that  he  might  the  better  observe  the 
conduct  of  his  soldiers,  and  that  he  would  give 
the  places  at  the  head  of  the  lines  to  a  blacksmith 
and  a  young  farmer  who  enjoyed  local  reputation 
as  fighters. 

I  was  provided  with  a  stout  club,  a  ten  foot  pole 
and  mounted  on  a  good  horse,  while  the  troopers 
were  at  liberty  to  use  the  flat  of  their  swords  or 
clubs  as  they  chose.  I  now  drew  off  fifty  yards  or 
so,  set  spurs  to  my  horse  (a  willing  brute)  and 
galloped  toward  my  antagonists,  brandishing  club 
and  pole  in  either  hand  and  shouting  at  the  top 
of  a  strong  voice  the  battle-cry  that  had  sounded 
above  the  crash  of  arms  at  Waterloo. 


A   ROMANCE  OF  HISTORY.  15^ 


A  chain,  it  has  been  remarked,  is  no  stronger 
than  its  weakest  link,  and  so  it  fared  with  the 
chivalry  of  Berks  on  that  memorable  Fourth. 
The  two  warriors  at  the  head  of  the  columns  fled 
from  my  charge  as  from  Grim  Death,  and  those 
behind  them  did  the  like,  jumping  their  horses 
out  of  my  way  with  unlooked-for  swiftness  as  I 
neared  them. 

After  this  Homeric  exploit  the  field  was  mine, 
and  I  laughed  as  I  had  not  since  I  was  a  boy  at 
my  crest-fallen  antagonists  and  their  explanations 
as  to  how  it  had  happened.  However,  the  tides 
of  enthusiasm  and  hard  drinking  now  began  to 
set  in  so  uproariously  on  every  side  that  I  was 
glad  to  slip  out  the  back  door  of  a  tavern  and 
to  measure  off"  a  good  ten  miles  of  country  road 
before  dark. 


CHAPTER  n. 

IN   A   NEW   ROLE. 

CROM  scenes  of  War  the  transition  is  easy  to 
those  of  Love,  and  so  it  befell  my  battle- 
scarred  self.  However  it  was  not  to  be  on  the  field 
of  glory,  or  when  arrayed  in  the  panoply  of  War, 
that  I  was  to  be  pierced  by  the  arrows  of  Cupid  : 
but  amid  other  surroundings  and  under  very 
different  conditions. 

When  I  made  my  way  back  to  Philadelphia  in 
the  autumn  I  found,  not  only  my  former  pupils 
awaiting  my  return,  but  a  number  of  new  ones. 
Calling  on  one  of  my  music  pupils  on  a  certain 
memorable  day  just  before  the  Christmas  holidays, 
I  was  introduced  to  a  young  lady,  a  Miss  Halter, 
who  wished  to  take  lessons.  Not  only  did  this 
lady  show  unusual  talent,  but  she  likewise  showed 
at  all  times  an  amiability  of  spirit  that  made  her  a 
universal  favorite.  Time  and  again  it  seemed  to 
me  that  I  had  seen  her  face  before,  but  when 
or  where  I  could  not  by  any  effort  recall.  Her 
family,  I  found,  were  Swiss,  though  they  had  emi- 
grated to  America  some  years  before,  settling  in 
Philadelphia  where  the  father  found  a  business 
opening. 

154 


A  ROMANCE  OF  HISTORY.  155 


However  I  could  not  have  met  her  in  her  native 
land,  as  I  had  never  been  in  that  beautiful  coun- 
try, except  a  time  or  two  on  the  hurried  errands 
of  War.  Her  father  and  mother  I  seldom  saw,  as 
the  one  was  away  at  business  and  the  other 
closely  occupied  with  household  affairs.  Never- 
theless the  time  finally  came  when  I  was  invited  to 
take  supper  and  spend  the  evening  with  the  family 
and  a  few  friends,  the  occasion  being  the  young 
lady's  birthday. 

The  principal  dish  at  supper  was  a  most  savory 
preparation  of  venison  or  goat's  flesh,  which  I 
could  remember  having  eaten  only  once  before 
and  then  with  a  Swiss  family  at  the  birthday  feast 
of  a  beautiful  child  in  a  hamlet  in  the  Pass  of  St. 
Bernard.  I  remarked  upon  this  fact,  and  was 
astonished  and  delighted  when  the  young  lady  of 
the  house  answered  : 

"  The  dish  is  exactly  the  same,  but,  if  there 
were  a  birthday  cake  on  the  table,  it  would  carry 
twice  as  many  candles  to-day  as  did  the  one  in  the 
old  village.  Where,  Major,  is  the  great  sword 
that  my  little  brother  tried  to  swing  about  his 
head,  and  why  are  you  not  in  that  gorgeous  uni- 
form in  honor  of  my  birthday  !" 

Then  it  was  that  I  understood,  as  one  awakened 
out  of  sleep,  the  resemblance  in  the  young  lady's 
face  that  had  puzzled  me,  and  then,  too,  I  knew 


156  UNDER  TWO  CAPTAINS, 


why  at  times  I  had  detected  her  laughing  at  me 
behind  my  back.  The  choice  meal  lay  long  un- 
tasted  then,  as  her  parents  told  how  they  had 
taken  the  resolve  to  leave  Europe  and  its  fierce 
storms  of  War,  and  had  made  the  long  and  weari- 
some journey  to  the  peaceful  haven  of  America. 
They  listened,  too,  in  round-eyed  wonder  to  the 
strange  tale  of  War  and  journeyings  that  I  had  to 
tell,  and  when,  late  that  night,  I  sought  my  lodg- 
ings it  was  with  the  most  comforting  feeling  that 
a  bond  of  union  had  been  given  me  between  the 
old  life  that  now  seemed  almost  unreal  and  the 
one  I  was  living. 

It  is  an  old  story,  and  yet  one  of  ever-living 
interest  that  I  have  now  to  tell.  The  Philadel- 
phia of  that  day  had  streets,  not  a  few,  and  most 
of  them  had  some  interest  of  their  own,  yet  one 
street  came  to  claim  place  in  my  thoughts  as  the 
only  one  of  real  importance.  There  was  a  society 
of  no  little  culture  in  the  city,  and  to  this  I  had 
the  entree ;  yet  it  came  to  be  that  there  was  but 
one  face  that  appeared  to  me  in  my  dreams. 

In  short  a  new  thing  had  come  into  my  philosO' 
phy,  even  that  mysterious  force  or  current  that 
men  call  Love.  In  the  language  of  the  poets  I  was 
fast  in  Cupid's  meshes.  To  view  my  situation 
from  another  point  of  view,  I  was  convinced  of  the 
profound  truth  and  beauty  of  the  old  Scripture 


A  ROMANCE  OF  HISTOR  V.  157 


that  says:  "It  is  not  good  that  the  man 
should  be  alone."  To  be  perfectly  candid,  I  must 
admit  that  it  was  the  poets  who  received  the  larger 
part  of  my  leisure  just  then.  Gentle  Spring  had 
come  again,  and  her  occult  influences  lured  me  on 
many  a  balmy  afternoon  to  wander  forth  to  the 
neighboring  woods  that  I  might  commune  with 
Nature  and  with  the  kindred  spirit  of  the  poet. 

Abundant  proof  of  the  fact  that  I  was  at  last  in 
the  toils,  I  found  in  the  unreasonable  yet  deep- 
seated  dislike  I  began  to  entertain  toward  a  young 
business  man  who  was  a  frequent  caller  at  the 
Halter  home.  This  rival  in  the  field  was  neither 
brilliant  in  intellect  nor  possessed  of  much  educa- 
tion, and  yet  I  saw  that  he  was  one  to  be  reckoned 
with.  Was  he  not  to  the  manor  born,  and  had  he  not 
all  the  social  and  political  chat  of  Philadelphia  at 
his  tongue's  end  ?  Then,  too,  had  he  not  inherited 
a  very  lucrative  business  from  his  father,  together 
with  a  pretentious  home  on  Arch  street,  and  was 
he  not  himself  a  rising  man  in  that  he  was  a 
member  of  the  City  Council  ?  Physically  con- 
sidered, he  was  a  small  man,  not  reaching  to  the 
height  of  my  shoulder ;  but,  nevertheless,  I  began 
to  fear  him  as  I  had  never  feared  Russian,  Prus- 
sian, Austrian  or  Englishman  on  the  field  of  battle. 

When  Napoleon  went  a-wooing  it  was  said  of 
him  that  he  had  only  his  sword  and  general's  hat 


158  UNDER  TWO  CAPTAINS, 

to  offer  his  beloved.  I  was  in  still  worse  plight, 
for,  as  a  refugee  here  in  peaceful  America,  I  had 
neither  sword  nor  rank  to  offer,  and  could  not  as 
much  as  come  and  go  under  my  own  name  with- 
out risk  to  my  liberty  or  even  to  my  life.  As  I 
thought  on  my  condition  and  on  the  generous 
intentions  with  which  I  had  entered  upon  my 
career  as  a  French  patriot  and  soldier,  the  feeling 
of  bitterness  swept  over  me  like  a  wave.  But  this 
weakness  was  not  for  long,  and  then  with  the 
optimism  that  befits  a  man  and  a  Christian  I  began 
to  plan  my  campaign. 

I  decided  (somewhat  wisely,  I  believe)  to  take 
neither  man  nor  woman  into  my  confidence,  but  to 
hold  my  council  of  War  strictly  with  myself  One 
principle  of  war  I  had  learned  from  Napoleon,  and 
that  is  that  promptness  or  aggressiveness  is  half 
the  battle.  "In  war,"  he  wrote,  "you  see  your 
own  troubles  ;  those  of  the  enemy  you  cannot  see. 
You  must  show  confidence."  Accordingly,  on 
recalling  this  advice,  I  resolved  to  act  and  to  act 
at  once,  /.  ^.,  within  twenty-four  hours.  I  should 
have  preferred  another  field  of  action  to  the  one  on 
which  I  knew  my  happiness  must  be  put  to  the 
question.  A  man  of  my  stature  makes  a  much  bet- 
;;er  appearance  on  horseback  or  even  walking 
than  when  seated  in  a  low  parlor  chair ;  but  your 
true  general  takes  the  field  as  he  finds  it  and  adapts 
his  strategy  to  its  peculiar  features. 


A  ROMANCE  OF  HISTORY.  159 


In  European  society  good  usage  demands  that 
the  consent  of  the  parents  be  secured  before  the 
daughter  be  addressed  ;  but  here  I  was  determined 
to  stand  on  my  rights  as  an  American  citizen.  So 
it  was  that  I  advanced  to  the  attack  at  a  carefully 
chosen  hour  of  the  afternoon,  marching  up  to  the 
house  and  asking  for  Miss  Halter. 

Many  is  the  grand  lady  of  court  circles  with 
whom  I  have  conversed  with  unperturbed  spirit ; 
but,  when  this  young  lady  of  the  people  en- 
tered the  room,  such  was  my  perturbation  that  I 
fairly  stammered  as  I  greeted  her.  As  is  often  the 
case  in  War,  I  found  it  expedient  to  resort  to  a 
feint  to  withdraw  attention  from  my  real  purpose, 
and  so  I  began  to  speak  very  earnestly  about  a 
coming  musical  festival.  By  the  time  this  matter 
had  been  somewhat  fully  discussed  I  had  regained 
my  equanimity  and  was  ready  to  face  the  real  issue. 

The  all-decisive  moment  was  brought  on  by  me 
by  stating  to  Miss  Halter  that  I  was  in  deep  trouble. 
At  this  statement  she  showed  great  sympathy  and 
asked  if  it  were  any  matter  that  her  father  or 
herself  could  remedy.  I  told  her  that  she  alone 
of  all  people  could  help  me,  whereupon  she 
blushed  so  deeply  and  seemed  so  touched  that  I 
took  courage  and  spoke  my  heart.  In  the  confi- 
dences that  followed  she  made  the  comforting  con- 
fession  that,   after  seeing  and  recognizing  me  on 


160  UNDER  TWO  CAPTAINS, 

the  street  shortly  after  my  arrival  in  Philadelphia, 
the  other  men  of  her  acquaintance  had  one  and  all 
shrunk  into  insignificance.  She  admitted,  too,  that 
she  had  then  formed  the  maidenly  resolve  to  keep 
me  in  sight  for  the  future. 

When  all  was  happily  settled  between  us,  we 
sought  her  parents  and  I,  assuming  a  confidence  I 
was  far  from  feeling,  asked  their  consent  to  my 
suit.  Somewhat  to  my  surprise,  this  was  readily 
granted,  and  then  began  the  happy  days  of  our 
engagement  and  the  delightful  labor  of  planning 
and  working  for  the  new  home. 

For  the  information  of  any  who  may  be  aspiring 
to  such  honors,  I  would  say  here  that  it  was  upon 
becoming  engaged  that  I  first  learned  the  full 
meaning  of  the  word  Responsibility.  My  greatest 
satisfaction  in  those  days  I  found  in  the  good  stand- 
ing I  had  been  able  to  gain  in  the  short  time  of  my 
residence  in  America,  or,  to  put  the  matter  differ- 
ently, in  the  extent  and  quality  of  my  circle  of 
acquaintances.  The  fact,  too,  that  there  was  a 
small  balance  to  my  credit  in  one  of  the  banks 
helped  me  not  a  little  to  peace  of  mind  at  this 
crisis.  Hitherto  I  had  been  somewhat  indiflferent 
as  to  the  number  of  my  pupils,  but  I  now  resolved 
to  pass  no  one  by  who  desired  my  instruction  and 
had  the  wherewithal  to  pay  for  it.  My  day-dream, 
however,  was  to  get  away  from  city  life  and  its 


A  ROMANCE  OF  HISTORY.  161 


petty  vexations  for  one  in  my  position  to  the  inde- 
pendent life  on  the  farm.  Then,  too,  a  man  of  my 
frame  and  muscle  seemed  better  suited  to  a  life  of 
vigorous  exercise  than  to  adapting  himself  as  a 
teacher  of  music  and  the  languages  to  the  whims 
of  the  fine  ladies  or  light-headed  youth  of  the  New- 
World  city.  However,  until  I  could  gather  means 
to  purchase  even  a  small  farm  near  my  prospective 
wife's  home,  I  must  be  content  with  the  conditions 
of  my  lot  in  the  city. 

Philadelphia,  toward  the  end  of  the  second  decade 
of  the  Nineteenth  Century,  was  not  a  dull  place 
of  residence  even  for  a  man  who  had  seen  as  much 
of  the  world  as  myself.  Until  comparatively  a 
few  years  before  it  had  been  the  capital  city  of 
the  United  States,  and  as  such  had  sheltered  some 
able  men  and  courtly  ladies.  There  was  to  be 
found  in  the  place  some  really  select  society  and 
much  that  was  substantial,  together  with  not  a 
little  of  the  dangerous  element.  This  last,  it  must 
be  admitted,  was,  for  the  most  part,  of  my  adopted 
nationality,  the  French.  Political  emigrants  these 
were,  of  the  most  widely  dilBferent  classes  and 
creeds.  Taken  together,  they  formed  an  uneasy 
generation,  the  most  of  them  being  of  the  red 
revolutionary  and  infidel  stripe  and  of  a  most 
bitter  spirit.  I  need  hardly  say  that  I  did  not 
seek  the  society  of  these  people,  but  neither  did 

n 


162  UNDER  TWO  CAPTAINS, 

I  shun  them.  I  had  never  feared  these  fire-brands 
in  their  own  land,  and  I  feared  them  even  less 
here  in  free  America.  Whenever  I  was  thrown 
together  with  these  malcontents  and  heard  them 
making  their  attacks  upon  either  the  ordinances 
of  God  or  the  institutions  of  the  Republic,  I  made 
it  my  duty  and  pleasure  to  remind  them  of  the 
pit  whence  they  were  digged  and  to  explain  to 
the  company  something  about  the  days  of  the 
Terror  and  the  bands  of  Marat.  The  accuracy 
of  my  statements  was  never  questioned  by  a 
Frenchman,  and  while  hot  anger  sometimes  was 
kindled,  no  challenges  to  the  duel  ever  followed. 

Life,  I  find,  is  very  much  a  series  of  compen- 
sations, and  to  offset  the  unpleasantness  of  con- 
troversy with  infidel  and  revolutionist,  there  was 
the  ever-increasing  good  will  of  those  who  re- 
spected religion  and  government.  I  made  enemies 
here  and  there,  it  is  true ;  but  they  were  such 
as  I  never  should  have  chosen  for  my  friends, 
and  for  everyone  of  them  I  gained  at  least  two 
friends  among  the  best  people. 

There  were  some  men  of  scientific  culture  in 
Philadelphia  in  those  days  and  some,  too,  who 
had  made  a  name  for  themselves  in  the  service 
of  the  State.  I  had  my  acquaintances  and  even 
friends  among  these  ;  but  my  intimates  came  to  be 
the  German  pastors  of  the  city,  who  were  scholars 


A  ROMANCE  OF  HISTORY.  163 

from  the  European  universities,  as  well  as  earnest 
preachers  and  energetic  American  pastors.  My 
cherished  University  days  seemed  to  come  back 
to  me,  as  now  and  again  I  spent  an  evening  dis- 
cussing with  these  broad-minded  men  the  pro- 
found truths  of  Theology  and  the  great  lessons 
of  History.  Life  most  certainly  is  a  thing  of 
change,  and  as  I  sat  in  the  great  congregation 
that  Lord's  Day  after  Lord's  Day  filled  the  spa- 
cious Zion's  German  Lutheran  Church,  or  walked 
the  quiet  streets  with  my  betrothed,  perhaps  to 
attend  some  concert,  I  would  sometimes  ask  my- 
self:  Is  this  the  same  man,  who  for  twenty-two 
years  was  driven  from  end  to  end  of  the  Con- 
tinent of  Europe  by  the  fierce  storms  of  War? 

That  summer  and  the  next  I  spent  in  the 
country  ;  but  with  a  different  purpose  from  my 
former  one  of  merely  working  my  way,  while  I 
explored  a  new  land.  Now  I  felt  that  something 
must  be  earned  during  the  summer  months,  while 
I  was  seeking  a  location  and  learning  the  science 
of  crops,  and  cattle,  and  the  other  mysteries  of 
farming. 

In  the  early  spring  a  message  came  to  me  from 
Europe  that  gave  me  great  pleasure.  It  was  an 
invitation  from  my  old  comrade  in  arms.  Mar- 
shal Bernadotte,  who  had  been  made  King  of 
Sweden,  to  take  command  of  the  Swedish  cavalry. 


164  UNDER  TWO  CAPTAINS, 


This  offer  was  at  once  recognition  of  the  service 
I  had  rendered  in  my  military  career,  and  an 
opportunity  to  return  to  the  place  and  rank  I 
had  lost  and,  indeed,  to  something  considerably 
higher.  The  post  of  commander  of  the  cavalry 
of  a  nation  like  Sweden,  offered  a  very  different 
prospect  from  anything  that  my  teaching  or  work 
on  the  farm  could  ever  promise. 

And  yet  you  will  be  astonished  to  hear  that  I 
declined  this  kind  offer  with  my  best  thanks  to  my 
old  friend.  My  reason  for  this  seemingly  foolish 
decision  was  simply  and  solely  this — I  felt  that, 
after  the  experiences  I  had  passed  through,  I 
should  be  sinning  against  the  light  that  had  been 
given  me,  were  I  to  turn  again  to  the  calling  of 
War.  Being  under  this  conviction,  I  did  the  only 
thing  that  a  conscientious  man  could  do,  and 
declined  the  honor. 

The  offer  itself,  however,  was  worth  much  to  me. 
In  the  first  place,  it  gave  me  new  courage  to  know 
that  I  was  still  remembered  and  appreciated  by 
those  who  knew  me  best.  Then  I  took  an  honest 
pride  in  showing  the  letter  to  a  very  few  esteemed 
friends,  and  to  one  or  two  purse-proud  nobodies 
who  had  at  times  shown  a  condescending  spirit 
toward  me.  The  sight  of  the  signature  of  a  king 
and  of  a  royal  seal  had  a  remarkable  effect  on  these 
snobs  and  worked  a  transformation  in  their  bear- 
ing toward  me  that  was  laughable. 


A  ROMANCE  OF  HISTORY.  165 


At  last  the  right  time  seemed  to  have  come,  and 
in  the  year  1819  I  was  married,  the  venerable 
Pastor  Helmuth  officiating.  As  I  stood  beside  my 
bride,  after  the  ceremony,  receiving  the  congratu- 
lations of  a  regiment  of  friends,  I  realized  most 
fully  that  for  me  the  new  life  under  these  Western 
skies  had  fairly  begun. 


CHAPTER  III. 
IfROM   THE   FARM   TO   THE   CAPITAL. 

"P  IN  ALLY  the  hoped-for  opportunity  came  to 
leave  the  drudgery  that  made  up  much  of  my 
teaching,  and  to  buy  a  good  farm  on  easy  terms. 
It  was  located  near  Reading,  Pa.,  not  far  from  the 
scene  of  my  famous  cavalry  charge.  I  caught  at 
the  opportunity,  and  made  no  mistake  in  so  doing. 
The  Berks  County  farmers,  while  not  up  to  Ney's 
requirements  as  cavalrymen,  I  found  skilful  in 
their  own  business  and,  not  only  honest,  but  also 
kindly  disposed  as  neighbors. 

The  few  years  I  spent  in  that  neighborhood 
passed  away  very  quickly  and  pleasantly,  bringing 
me  rest  of  spirit  after  the  continuous  changes  of 
almost  thirty  years,  and  also  the  leisure  needed  to 
adjust  myself  to  the  changed  conditions  of  my  life. 
An  ancient  proverb  warns  us  that  the  bow  that  is 
always  bent  loses  its  elasticity,  and  these  few  years 
of  simple  farm  life  meant  more  to  me  than  I  real- 
ized at  the  time.  Here  my  sons  Lewis  and  John 
were  born,  and  here  I  could  have  lived  on  content- 
edly as  a  farmer,  had  it  not  been  for  arguments  of 
my  friends.  A  few  particular  friends,  made  in  the 
new  home,  and  a  number  living  in  Philadelphia, 

166 


A  ROMANCE  OF  H J  STORY.  167 


finally  persuaded  me  that  I  owed  it  to  myself,  to 
my  family  and  to  my  adopted  country  to  put  my 
education  and  experience  to  some  greater  use  than 
I  could  make  of  it  on  the  farm.  Then,  too,  my 
wife's  home  was  in  Philadelphia,  and  in  those 
days,  except  when  the  roads  were  at  their  best, 
from  Reading  to  Philadelphia  was  something  of  a 
journey. 

This  move  from  the  quiet  plenty  of  country  life 
back  to  the  distractions  and  uncertainties  of  the 
city  seemed  at  the  time  a  piece  of  very  doubtful 
wisdom.  Indeed,  in  the  council  of  the  sages  that 
was  wont  to  gather  at  our  little  cross  roads  store, 
just  out  from  Reading,  there  were  grave  shakings 
of  the  head  over  the  folly  of  a  man  who  could 
return  to  the  city,  having  once  escaped  its  perils. 
Our  country  pastor  went  so  far  as  to  refer  to  the 
man  of  old  who  pitched  his  tent  toward  Sodom  ; 
but,  in  the  face  of  all  these  warnings,  I  sold  the 
farm,  loaded  up  my  wife  and  babies  and  made  the 
journey  to  Philadelphia.  Here  I  resumed  with  a 
few  of  my  former  pupils  in  Music  and  the  lan- 
guages, but  was  soon  able  to  take  up  work  more  to 
my  liking. 

As  something  of  my  military  career  had  come  to 
be  known  to  my  circle  of  friends  and  acquaint- 
ances, requests  began  to  be  made  that  I  should 
give  instruction  in  fencing.    This  exercise  brought 


168  UNDER  TWO  CAPTAINS, 

a  pleasant  variety  into  my  daily  routine,  especially 
as  I  possessed  a  high  degree  of  skill  with  the 
sword.  Every  strong  or  skillful  man  is  apt  to 
find  out  sooner  or  later  that  there  is  at  least  one 
stronger  or  more  skillful  than  himself.  There 
were  doubtless  many  better  swordsmen  than 
myself  in  the  great  armies  of  Europe;  but,  as  a 
matter  of  fact,  I  never  encountered  them,  weapon 
in  hand. 

In  connection  with  these  lessons  I  soon  began  to 
give  instruction  in  military  science  and  tactics  to 
some  army  officers  and  to  a  few  others  who  were 
ambitious  of  going  into  the  army.  Among  my 
pupils  I  may  name  two  who  attained  distinction, 
General  Worth  and  Major  Ringgold  of  Mexican 
War  fame.  I  counted  not  a  few  other  military 
men  among  my  friends,  but  most  of  these  I  came 
to  know  after  removing  to  Washington.  One  of 
these.  General  Samuel  Houston,  some  years  after- 
wards ofifered  me  the  command  of  the  forces  of 
Texas,  then  engaged  in  their  struggle  for  freedom 
from  the  yoke  of  Mexico.  I  held  the  belief  that 
the  Texan  cause  was  a  just  one,  and  also  had  con- 
fidence that  it  would  come  out  victorious ;  yet 
these  considerations  failed  to  move  me  to  turn 
again  to  the  profession  of  arms.  If  the  wise  man  is 
he  who  knows  when  he  has  had  enough  of  a  thing, 
then  I  had  wisdom  like  unto  that  of  Solomon. 


A  ROMANCE  OP  HISTORY.  109 


Thus  it  was  that  I  was  once  more  settled  in 
Philadelphia  when  Lafayette  made  his  last  visit  to 
America.  This  event  was  to  be  one  of  the  turn- 
ing points  in  my  life,  though  I  little  realized  on 
hearing  of  the  expected  visit  of  my  venerable 
friend  what  the  consequences  would  be  to  me. 
But  before  telling  of  what  this  visit  of  the  great 
Frenchman  meant  to  me  personally,  it  would  seem 
fitting  to  give  a  brief  sketch  of  a  life  so  truly 
noble. 

This  man  can  truthfully  be  said  to  have  lived 
for  the  cause  of  Humanity.  As  a  mere  youth  he 
left  home,  family  and  a  loved  bride  to  venture  his 
fortune  and  his  life  to  aid  a  people  living  thou- 
sands of  miles  distant  in  the  desperate  struggle  for 
their  liberty.  This  hero  of  modern  times  was 
born  in  the  Province  of  Auvergne,  France,  Sep- 
tember 6th,  1757,  and  accordingly  was  only 
nineteen  years  of  age  when  he  left  his  princely 
home  to  cast  his  lot  with  the  American  army  in  its 
darkest  hour.  Just  at  that  time  Burgoyne  seemed 
to  be  carrying  all  before  him,  and  General  Howe, 
with  an  army  much  stronger  than  Washington's, 
held  New  York  and  was  pushing  on  to  capture 
Philadelphia.  It  was  in  this  gloomy  hour  that 
Lafayette  came,  as  though  sent  of  God,  to  cheer 
the  discouraged  patriots  with  his  presence  and  aid. 

His   career  in  the  American  army  was  a  most 


170  UNDER  TWO  CAPTAINS, 

honorable  one.  Landing  in  January,  1777,  at 
Charleston,  he  at  once  joined  the  army  as  a  vol- 
unteer, serving  as  such  until  the  end  of  July, 
when  he  was  commissioned  by  Congress  as  a 
Major  General.  Less  than  two  months  later  he 
took  part  in  the  Battle  of  the  Brandywine,  taking 
his  stand  where  the  fighting  was  the  hottest  and 
refusing  to  be  taken  from  the  field  when  wounded. 
In  1779  he  returned  to  France  for  a  short  visit 
and  put  forth  every  effort  to  gain  for  the  American 
cause  the  favor  and  assistance  of  the  French 
nation.  He  was  successful  in  this  effort  and  had 
the  joy  of  returning  to  America  the  next  year  with 
large  re-inforcements.  In  178 1  he  saw  some  hard 
service  in  Virginia  and  finally  had  the  pleasure 
of  aiding  in  the  capture  of  the  boastful  British 
commander,  Lord  Cornwallis. 

This  true  nobleman  had  given  most  freely  ot 
his  wealth,  of  his  services  under  the  hardest  con- 
ditions of  cold,  hunger  and  nakedness,  and  of  his 
own  blood  to  the  sacred  cause  of  Liberty;  but, 
in  the  New  World,  at  least,  his  labors  and  sacri- 
fices were  appreciated.  Wherever  he  journeyed 
in  the  newly-liberated  States  he  was  made  to  feel 
that  he  was  the  guest  of  honor  of  a  grateful 
nation,  and  after  he  had  returned  to  his  home, 
American  gratitude  followed  him  in  many  grace- 
ful tributes. 


A  ROMANCE  OF  HISTOR  V.  171 


Very  different  was  the  experience  he  was  des- 
tined to  undergo  a  few  years  later  on  European 
soil.  At  first  here,  too,  success  and  personal 
recognition  attended  his  efforts  to  further  the 
mighty  cause  of  Humanity.  At  his  own  expense 
he  made  an  experiment  toward  the  emancipation 
of  the  negroes.  He  espoused  the  interests  of  the 
oppressed  Protestants,  and  was  strong  enough  to 
carry  in  the  National  Assembly  of  1787  a  reso- 
lution favoring  their  civil  rights.  He  attempted 
further  to  carry  through  a  reform  calling  for  the 
suppression  of  the  infamous  lettres  de  cachet^  and 
approved  of  the  demolition  of  the  Bastile. 

In  the  days  of  storm  and  bloodshed  that  now 
came  upon  France,  lyafayette  showed  himself  at 
all  times  the  patriot,  and  never  the  partisan.  He 
could  and  did  consistently  propose  "A  declaration 
of  Rights''  and  declare  "that  insurrection  against 
despotism  was  the  most  sacred  of  duties,"  while 
protecting  the  royal  family  from  the  fury  of  the 
mob.  By  following  this  course  of  independence  and 
true  patriotism  Lafayette  won  the  approval  of  his 
own  conscience  and  the  respect  of  all  right-think- 
ing men  ;  but  he  did  not  please  either  of  the  great 
factions  of  France,  and  it  was  only  a  question  of 
time  until  he  should  be  crushed  between  the 
upper  millstone  of  revolutionary  rage  and  the 
nether   one   of  royalist   revenge.     The  lot   of  the 


172  UNDER  TWO  CAPTAINS, 

conscientious  man  is  truly  one  of  persecution,  as 
was  most  clearly  shown  here.  Though  raised  to 
the  honor  of  being  Commander  in  Chief  of  the 
National  Guards  of  France  and  decorated  with 
the  red  ribbon  of  a  Marshal,  Lafayette  had  only 
to  protest  against  indignities  offered  the  King  to 
bring  down  a  decree  of  accusation  upon  his  own 
head  and  to  be  forsaken  by  his  troops.  Realizing 
the  situation,  he,  accompanied  by  a  dozen  or  so  of 
personal  friends,  fled  from  France  in  the  hope  of 
finding  an  asylum  in  some  foreign  land  until 
better  days  should  open  the  way  for  a  return  to 
his  loved  native  land. 

But  those  days  of  mob  fury  and  of  despotic 
wrath  were  indeed  evil  days  for  men  of  principle, 
and  our  patriot,  driven  from  his  country  by  the 
revolutionists,  was  at  once  arrested  by  the  royal- 
ists and  held  by  them  for  years  in  the  close 
confinement  of  a  prison.  The  courts  of  Berlin 
and  Vienna  were  both  implicated  in  this  unjust 
and  inhuman  act,  and  the  noble  Frenchman  and 
a  few  of  his  friends  were  made  to  suffer  the  rigors 
of  solitary  confinement  in  dungeons  in  Wesel, 
Magdeburg,  Glatz  and  Olmutz.  The  captives 
were  told  that  henceforth  they  should  see  noth- 
ing but  the  walls  of  their  cells ;  that  they  could 
expect  no  information  concerning  persons  or 
events ;    that   the  mention   of    their   names   even 


A  ROMANCE  OF  HISTORY.  173 


by  their  jailors  had  been  prohibited,  and  that  for 
the  future  they  were  to  be  known  only  by  num- 
bers. Under  such  barbarous  treatment  as  this 
Lafayette's  health  began  to  give  way  for  the 
second  time  during  his  imprisonment,  and  to  save 
his  life,  some  exercise  had  to  be  allowed  him.  On 
certain  days  he  was  taken  out  for  a  drive  in  an 
open  carriage  with  an  ofl&cer  by  his  side  and  two 
soldiers  standing  behind. 

These  stated  drives  gave  Lafayette's  friends  an 
opportunity  to  plan  his  rescue.  Only  two  took 
personal  part  in  the  attempt,  Doctor  Bollman,  a 
young  German  employed  for  this  purpose,  and  a 
Mr.  Huger,  an  American  travelling  in  Germany, 
who  volunteered  his  assistance.  Through  the 
military  surgeon  Dr.  Bollman  sent  Lafayette  a 
pamphlet  and  a  note,  the  latter  being  written  for 
the  most  part  in  sympathetic  ink,  invisible  unless 
exposed  to  the  heat.  The  few  lines  written  with 
common  ink  ended  with  these  words  :  "  I  am  glad 
of  the  opportunity  of  addressing  you  these  few 
words,  which,  when  read  with  your  usual  warmth^ 
will  afford  to  a  heart  like  yours  some  consolation." 
Lafayette  took  the  hint,  read  the  letter  and  care- 
fully planned  the  manner  of  his  escape.  As  he 
wrote  his  friends  on  the  margins  of  the  pamphlet 
in  lemon  juice,  the  rescue  could  best  be  eJSfected  by 
overpowering  the  guard  who  accompanied  him  on 


174  UNDER  TWO  CAPTAINS, 

his  drives.  The  two  conspirators  thought  it  best 
to  make  the  attempt  alone,  and  accordingly  fol- 
lowed the  carriage  on  horseback  until  the  right 
moment  seemed  to  have  come.  After  proceeding 
several  miles  the  carriage  turned  into  an  open 
plain,  and  presently  Lafayette  and  the  officer 
stepped  out  and  walked,  the  guard  in  the  carriage 
driving  slowly  on  ahead.  Just  then  the  two  friends 
galloped  up  and  dismounted,  Mr.  Huger  holding 
the  horses  while  the  doctor  hurried  to  the  assist- 
ance of  Lafayette,  who  meantime  had  grappled 
with  the  officer.  The  latter  was  disarmed,  but 
thereupon  he  seized  the  Marquis  and  set  up  a  tre- 
mendous outcry.  The  guard,  hearing  the  cries  and 
seeing  the  struggle,  promptly  ran  away.  The  offi- 
cer's mouth  was  then  stopped  with  a  handkerchief, 
and  all  would  have  been  well,  had  not  one  of  the 
horses  taken  fright  at  the  unearthly  bellowing  of 
the  man  and  slipped  his  bridle  and  run  offi  The 
doctor  then  handed  his  purse  to  the  Marquis  and 
told  him  to  take  the  horse  that  was  left  and  make 
the  best  of  his  way  to  the  frontier.  This  Lafayette 
did,  riding  off  at  his  horse's  best  speed.  The  res- 
cuers now  recovered  their  other  horse  from  a 
countryman  who  caught  him,  but,  finding  that  he 
would  not  carry  double,  Mr.  Huger  told  the  doctor 
to  follow  Lafayette,  while  he  took  his  chances  on 
foot  across  the  country.     He  was  soon  arrested,  as 


A  ROMANCE  OF  HISTOR  V.  175 


was  the  doctor  a  day  later,  and  they  were  given 
eight  months  in  prison  in  which  to  reflect  on  their 
kindly  attempt.  Lafayette  mistook  the  road  and 
was  arrested  within  a  few  miles  of  the  frontier  and 
taken  back  to  his  prison.  Here  about  a  year  later 
he  was  joined  by  his  wife  and  two  daughters. 
These  devoted  ladies  shared  the  hardships  of  his 
imprisonment  for  two  years,  suffering  greatly  in 
health  from  the  impure  air  of  the  prison. 

Finally,  in  September,  1797,  the  strong  hand  of 
Napoleon  opened  the  door  of  Lafayette's  dungeon 
and  they  made  their  journey  to  Hamburg. 
Madame  Lafayette  was  allowed  to  return  to 
France  at  once  and  the  Marquis  two  years  later. 
Napoleon  now  offered  inducements  to  win  our 
patriot  for  his  party  ;  but  these  offers  Lafayette 
steadfastly  refused,  voting  against  the  consulship 
for  life  and  raising  his  voice  whenever  possible  for 
the  liberties  of  France.  During  the  years  of  Napo- 
leon's ascendancy  Lafayette  lived  in  retirement 
upon  his  estate,  though  never  forgetful  of  his  coun- 
try's welfare.  On  the  approach  of  the  Allies  he 
offered  himself  as  a  candidate  and  was  elected  to  the 
House  of  Deputies  and  was  made  Vice-President. 
After  the  battle  of  Waterloo,  when  the  desperate 
Napoleon  was  about  to  usurp  all  power,  Lafayette 
appeared  at  the  tribune,  and  held  aloft  the  old  tri- 
Qplpred    flag  0/    France,   exclaiming :     "  Liberty, 


176  UNDER  TWO  CAPTAINS, 

Equality  and  Public  Order."  He  succeeded  in 
having  the  session  of  the  Legislature  declared  per- 
manent, and  insisted  on  the  abdication  of  Napo- 
leon. 

From  this  time  on  our  French  Washington  had 
been  living  a  quiet,  happy  life  with  his  family, 
until  in  his  sixty-seventh  year  the  desire  possessed 
him  to  visit  once  more  the  land  across  the  ocean 
for  which  he  had  ventured  so  much.  The  Amer- 
ican Congress,  learning  of  this  purpose,  hastened  to 
offer  a  man-of-war  for  his  voyage,  but  this  was 
respectfully  declined,  the  aged  patriot  preferring  to 
come  without  ostentation  in  a  private  vessel. 

To  me  personally  this  last  American  tour  of  La- 
fayette can  best  be  described  as  a  God-send.  Some 
friends  in  power,  learning  of  my  acquaintance  with 
the  French  patriot,  had  me  appointed  to  lead  a 
mounted  escort,  a  sort  of  Foreign  Legion,  made  up 
of  some  of  my  own  countrymen  and  others.  So  it 
happened  that  I  came  face  to  face  with  the  Marquis 
as  we  rode  past  the  reviewing  stand,  and  that  he 
recognized  me  and,  in  his  warm-hearted  way,  em- 
braced me  as  his  cherished  friend  there  before  all 
the  great  crowd.  He  also  spent  a  night  as  my 
guest,  and  sweet  indeed  was  our  communion  of 
spirit  as  we  lived  over  the  events  and  experiences 
through  which  we  had  been  called  to  pass. 

My  esteemed  friend  urged  me  to  resume  my  full 


A  ROMANCE  OF  HISTORY.  177 


name,  making  the  point  that  if  any  of  the  Napo- 
leonic dynasty  were  to  come  to  the  throne,  my 
claim  for  recognition  would  be  invalidated  by  the 
fact  that  I  had  been  living  under  another  name. 
He  also  insisted  that  I  should  accept  as  a  mark  of 
his  esteem  a  gift  of  one  thousand  dollars.  This  I 
finally  consented  to  do,  setting  the  money  aside 
as  a  fund  toward  the  purchase  of  a  home  when  the 
right  opportunity  should  oflfer.  The  public  recog- 
nition that  Lafayette  had  given  me  helped  my 
standing  in  official  circles,  bringing  me  a  good 
position  and  causing  my  counsel  in  military  ques- 
tions to  be  greatly  in  demand. 

The  lesson  of  this  most  pleasant  experience  in 
my  checkered  career  seems  to  be  this.  Great  is 
the  blessing  that  a  true  friend  brings  with  him  ! 
Aim  to  make  and  keep  friends  for  Friendship's 
own  sweet  sake  (for  otherwise  you  have  not  friends 
at  all,  but  only  business  acquaintances),  and  in 
your  hour  of  need  you  will  not  stand  alone.  Read 
Cicero  and  Bacon  on  "Friendship ;"  also  the  Book 
of  Proverbs,  and  apply  their  advice  and  admon- 
itions to  yourself  and  you  will  at  once  broaden 
your  field  of  human  interests  and  prosper. 

At  the  persuasion  of  my  honored  friend,  Lafayette, 

and   on   his    assurance   that   a   good    government 

position  would  be  given  me  when  I  should  present 

myself  to  the  proper  authorities  in  Washington,  I 

12 


178  UNDER  TWO  CAPTAINS, 

now  removed  to  the  world-capital  of  the  Future. 
At  first  it  seemed  evident  to  me  and  doubly  clear 
to  my  good  wife  that  we  had  made  a  great  mistake 
in  leaving  comfortable  old  Philadelphia  for  the 
raw  young  town  of  Washington  ;  but  the  result 
proved  that  the  unseen  hand  led  us  even  in  this 
matter.  It  must  be  granted  that  the  contrast 
between  the  capital  of  the  New  World  and  Paris, 
for  years  the  capital  city  of  Europe,  was  a  most 
striking  one.  The  Paris  of  Napoleon  was  splendid 
in  some  places  and  squalid  in  others  with  the 
inherited  misery  of  the  centuries ;  but  the  Paris 
of  to-day,  new  created  by  the  skill  of  the  engineer 
and  the  expenditure  of  many  millions,  is  the  very 
epitome  of  the  splendor  of  this  world.  I  could 
not  but  be  impressed  by  the  greatly  inferior 
appearance  of  Washington,  having  but  a  few 
buildings  worthy  of  a  nation's  capital,  and  with 
great  stretches  of  waste  territory  and  even  of 
unpaved  streets. 

Yet,  even  in  the  midst  of  the  unfavorable  first 
impression,  I  could  see  the  promise  of  great  beauty 
and  dignity  in  the  days  to  come.  This  was  to  be 
seen  first  of  all  in  the  broad  conception  and  scope 
of  the  city's  plan.  Here  was  abundant  room  for 
the  harmonious  grouping  of  the  great  buildings 
that  would  in  time  be  necessary  for  the  adminis- 
tration of  the  nation's  affairs,  room  too  for  beauti- 


A  ROMANCE  OF  HISTORY.  179 


ful  parks  and  stately  avenues  and  finally  for  the 
generous  spaces  that  are  essential  to  dignity.  And 
by  what  process  would  this  city  become  in  time 
the  city  beautiful  ?  Not  by  the  spoil  of  other 
nations,  but  by  the  freely  rendered  tribute  of  a 
great  people ;  yes,  the  greatest'  of  peoples  when 
the  years  should  bring  growth. 

Among  the  things  that  I  saw  and  learned  during 
my  life  in  Washington,  there  are  several  that 
should  be  named.  First,  I  saw  clearly  that  the 
true  power  and  beauty  of  Democracy  was  to  be 
found  here  in  America  as  in  no  other  land  or 
previous  age.  That,  though  only  half-grown  as 
yet,  here  was  the  Republic  of  all  time,  to  truly 
serve  which  was  nobler  than  to  be  a  king,  and  to 
die  for  which  would  be  to  die  for  Humanity. 
Greater  by  far  than  the  contrast  between  the  civi- 
lization of  the  Old  World  and  that  of  the  New 
was  the  contrast  between  the  virile,  though  for 
the  most  part  uncultured,  men  who  came  as  Rep- 
resentatives to  Washington,  and  the  excitable  and 
sometimes  vainglorious  Deputies  of  the  French 
Chamber. 

You  ask,  what  was  my  own  life  or  occupation 
while  in  the  Capital  ?  It  may  be  described  as  a 
development  of  that  which  I  had  for  some  years 
been  leading.  A  government  position  assured  me 
of  a  modest  living,  and  left  me  much  leisure  for 


180  UNDER  TWO  CAPTAINS, 

other  pursuits.  At  this  time  I  tried  my  hand  at 
authorship,  writing  a  "Life  of  Napoleon  Bona- 
parte, by  an  American  Citizen,"  which,  how- 
ever, I  did  not  publish  until  some  years  later. 
I  may  as  well  confess  that  this  venture  was  a 
failure,  at  least,  comparatively  speaking.  This 
may  have  been  because  of  the  lack  of  a  well- 
known  name  on  the  title  page,  it  may  have  been 
because  of  the  incompetence  of  my  publishers, 
or  it  may  have  been  because  I  failed  to  touch  a 
popular  chord. 

Many  and  pleasant  were  the  acquaintances  I 
formed  during  these  years  with  representative 
public  men.  Though  I  say  it  myself,  my  own 
bearing  could  not  but  show  something  of  the 
culture  in  the  midst  of  which  I  had  grown  up,  and 
also  something  of  the  twenty-two  years  crowded 
with  experiences  of  camp,  battle-field  and  court. 

Among  those  whom  I  may  name  as  my  friends 
were  General  Houston,  already  named  ;  General 
Cass,  whom  I  may  call  my  patron  in  official  cir- 
cles, and  Henry  Clay,  the  American  statesman. 
This  last  named  gentleman  I  was  to  meet  again 
in  the  West,  for  in  1842  he  came  to  my  later 
home  in  Henry  County,  Indiana,  and  spoke  at 
Knightstown.  On  this  occasion  I  had  the  pleasure 
of  being  chairman  of  the  reception  committee 
and  of  introducing  my  old  friend  to  my  neighbors, 


CHAPTER  IV. 
WESTWARD    HO. 

'T'HE  good  word  that  Marquis  de  Lafayette 
had  spoken  on  my  behalf  at  Washington 
brought  me  a  comfortable  government  position 
which  relieved  me  of  the  necessity  of  teaching. 
In  the  mixed  society  of  Philadelphia  there  were 
those  of  truly  noble  spirit  whose  lives  had  been 
lacking  in  opportunities  for  culture,  and  to 
instruct  these  in  the  languages  and  literature  of 
our  age  was  a  real  pleasure.  Unfortunately, 
however,  there  were  others  who  were  nothing 
more  than  rich  upstarts,  and  my  circumstances 
had  made  it  necessary  for  me  to  teach  these  also, 
much  as  my  independent  spirit  rebelled  against 
the  task.  This  labor,  pleasant  or  distasteful,  was 
now  at  an  end,  as  my  recognized  knowledge  of 
the  usage  of  the  courts  of  Europe  and  also  of 
military  matters  entitled  me  to  a  position  that 
carried  with   it  a  good  salary. 

The  Marquis'  son,  George  Washington  Lafay- 
ette, who  had  been  an  intimate  friend  of  mine 
in  France,  persuaded  me  to  take  up  the  pen  and 
prepare  a  lecture  on  Napoleon  Bonaparte  and  his 
career.     I  did  this  and  for  the  second  time  had  the 

181 


182  UNDER  TWO  CAPTAINS, 

pleasant  experience  of  knowing  what  it  means  to 
have  a  friend  in  power,  for  the  prestige  of  the 
name  of  Lafayette  enabled  me  to  deliver  my 
lecture  to  large  and  influential  audiences  in  the 
Eastern  cities.  To  my  astonishment  the  financial 
results  of  these  two  lectures  amounted  to  $1,400, 
and  this  sum,  together  with  the  gift  Lafayette 
had  forced  upon  me,  I  resolved  to  keep  untouched 
until  it  could  be  used  to  advantage  for  the  pur- 
chase of  a  home  for  my  dear  wife  and  little  ones. 

I  might  as  well  confess  just  here  that  my  finan- 
cial management  in  the  past  had  not  been  bril- 
liant. To  exercise  an  open-handed  hospitality 
and  to  relieve  the  wants  of  the  stranger,  especially 
if  he  happened  to  be  a  fellow-countryman  or  an 
old  comrade  in  arms,  seemed  to  me  to  be  one  of 
the  greatest  pleasures  of  life,  besides  being  the 
only  right  course.  My  good  wife  held  different 
views  on  this  question  of  hospitality,  and  at  times 
reminded  me  of  the  duty  of  providing  first  of  all 
for  one's  own  household. 

Some  years  passed  very  pleasantly  in  this  life  at 
the  Capital ;  but  then  I  grew  to  tire  of  it  exceed- 
ingly, and  to  picture  to  myself  the  sweet  freedom 
of  the  frontiersman,  as  it  had  been  pictured  to  me 
by  friends  like  General  Houston. 

By  the  year  1833  ^Y  longings  had  taken  definite 
shape,  and  the  word  with  us  was  Westward  Ho  ! 


A  ROMANCE  OF  HISTORY.  183 


For  some  time  I  considered  the  usual  route  to  the 
West,  viz.  :  by  team  to  Pittsburg,  and  then  by  boat 
down  the  Ohio  to  some  convenient  location. 
Finally  I  decided  against  this  route,  and  chose,  on 
grounds  of  greater  comfort  and  privacy  for  my 
family,  to  make  the  whole  journey  overland  by  a 
more  northern  route. 

Leaving  Washington  in  the  Spring,  we  trav- 
elled by  stage  to  Lancaster,  Pa.  Here  I  had  a 
reliable  German  wagon  builder  make  me  a  home 
on  wheels  that  would  carry  us  without  mishap  and 
with  all  possible  comfort  over  the  rough  roads  and 
through  the  streams  that  might  be  found  between 
the  cozy  little  Pennsylvania  city  and  our  new 
home  in  the  distant  West.  Built  into  the  wagon, 
in  a  place  known  only  to  the  builder,  myself  and 
my  wife,  was  a  receptacle  for  our  family  treasure 
(which  was  in  gold)  and  for  a  few  papers  that  I 
valued  above  gold.  Two  good  strong  horses,  a 
milk  cow  and  a  trusty  dog  made  up  the  caravan 
with  which  I,  a  Nineteenth  Century  patriarch, 
journeyed  toward  my  land  of  promise. 

Starting  from  Lancaster,  we  made  our  way  to 
the  Susquehanna  River,  then  on  up  the  Valley  of 
the  Juniata  to  a  point  near  its  head-waters  in  the 
Allegheny  Mountains.  For  the  sake  of  wife  and 
little  ones  I  made  the  journey  by  very  easy  stages, 
camping  here  and  there  to  rest  and  fish.     Our  feel- 


184  UNDER  TWO  CAPTAINS, 

ing  during  the  whole  journey  was  one  of  perfect 
security,  for  was  not  the  God  of  the  fathers  looking 
down  upon  us  from  heaven,  and  did  not  my  rifle, 
sword  and  pistols  hang  within  reach  in  the  wagon  ? 
The  mountain  summit  crossed,  we  followed  the 
Conemaugh,  the  Kiskiminetas  and  the  Allegheny 
rivers  to  Pittsburg.  We  spent  a  few  days  in  this 
city  and  then  on  westward,  following  as  much  as 
possible  the  river  valleys.  Fall  came  on  somewhat 
early  that  year,  so,  remembering  the  retreat  from 
Moscow,  I  thought  it  best  to  put  up  for  the  Winter 
in  a  small  city  in  Ohio.  By  so  doing  the  change 
from  life  in  Washington  to  that  on  a  frontier  farm 
was  made  less  abrupt.  Our  canvass  wagon  roof 
had  become  very  home-like  during  those  long  sum- 
mer days  along  the  rivers  and  on  the  mountain 
slopes  ;  but,  when  the  winter  winds  blew  their  icy 
breath  over  the  land  and  the  streams  froze  hard, 
we  thanked  God  for  the  walls  that  shut  out  the 
cold  and  for  the  tight  roof  of  shingles  overhead. 
As  the  teaching  of  Music  and  the  languages  had 
become  an  old  story  with  me,  I  had  no  diflficulty 
in  supporting  myself  and  family  in  comfort  until 
Spring.  When  the  gentle  voices  of  Spring  began 
to  be  heard  in  field  and  forest  (and  when  the  mud 
had  dried  up  enough  to  make  the  roads  passable), 
we  entered  our  wagon-home  and  resumed  our  jour- 
ney westward. 


A  ROMANCE  OF  HISTORY.  185 


In  Rush  County,  in  Central  Indiana,  we  came  to 
a  fertile  and  attractive  region  that  pleased  me 
greatly,  and  so  I  decided  our  long  journey  should 
end.  Some  government  land  was  still  to  be  had 
and  considerable  other  still  in  forest  at  very  low 
figures ;  but,  as  my  wife  was  hardly  rugged  enough 
to  endure  the  privations  of  real  frontier  life,  and, 
as  all  but  one  of  the  children  were  as  yet  too  small 
to  help  in  any  hard  labor,  I  thought  it  best  to  buy 
a  good  farm  that  was  provided  with  buildings  and 
partly  improved. 

So  farm  life  began,  and  from  its  first  day  I  real- 
ized that  here  at  last  was  the  life  of  independence 
of  which  I  had  so  often  dreamed  while  waiting  the 
convenience  of  some  rich  upstart  of  a  pupil.  As  I 
trod  the  fertile  acres  or  explored  the  woodland  or 
planned  orchard  and  garden,  I  felt  not  only  the 
joy  of  ownership,  but  even  more — a  deep-seated 
sense  of  having  reached  the  primeval  life  for  which 
man  was  created.  Here  I  was,  a  travel-worn 
Adam,  at  last  settled  in  my  Paradise,  and,  to  add  to 
my  happiness,  my  family  down  to  the  baby  seemed 
to  enjoy  with  me  the  delight  of  getting  back  to 
Nature.  Adam  had  the  work  of  naming  the 
animals ;  but  I  had  first  to  buy  mine  and  then  to 
name  them.  I  need  hardly  say  that  in  those 
pioneer  days  the  cattle  were  of  mixed  and  peculiar 
breeds,  some  of  them  being  half  wild  and  better 


186  UNDER  TWO  CAPTAINS, 


suited  for  the  menagerie  than  for  the  farm.  On 
making  this  discovery,  I  found  a  certain  consola- 
tion in  naming  my  stock  after  certain  members  of 
Napoleon's  family  and  court.  One  especially 
vicious  ox  I  still  remember  as  bearing  the  appro- 
priate name  of  Talleyrand. 

One  kind  of  War  there  was  still  to  be  waged 
even  in  this  peaceful  Western  land — that  against 
the  bears,  wolves  and  other  wild  beasts  that  occa- 
sionally ravaged  our  flocks.  To  take  the  rifle  or 
hunting  knife  against  these,  or  in  pursuit  of  the 
deer,  whose  flesh  one  needed  to  help  out  the  win- 
ter's food  supply,  I  considered  legitimate  war,  and 
the  only  kind  one  is  justified  in  beginning.  When 
the  leaves  had  fallen  in  Autumn,  or  even  in  the 
sharp  cold  of  Winter,  I  used  to  enjoy  taking  the 
field  alone,  or  with  a  little  company  of  neighbors, 
to  make  good  use  of  the  art  of  War  by  tracking 
some  destructive  beast  to  his  lair,  and  then,  per- 
haps, finishing  him  in  fair  combat,  i.  e.^  the  man 
with  his  knife  against  the  beast  with  his  weapons 
of  tooth  and  claw. 

Besides  this  occasional  warfare  against  the  wild 
beast,  there  was  another  kind  of  warfare,  that  I 
may  call  moral  warfare,  which  I  soon  found  to 
be  necessary  against  the  forces  of  Ignorance  and 
Evil. 

Among   the   laborious  pioneers   there    were   to 


A  ROMANCE  Of  HISTORY.  187 


be  found  here  and  there,  and  especially  in  the 
southern  part  of  the  State  near  the  Ohio  river, 
those  representing  an  entirely  different  element — 
that  of  the  outlaw  and  the  criminal.  Drinking, 
thieving,  especially  of  cattle  and  horses ;  and 
fighting,  both  with  the  fists  and  with  knife  or 
gun,  were  the  favorite  pastimes  of  these  ruffians. 
Numerically  they  formed  only  a  small  part  of 
the  population,  but  their  evil  influence  was  far- 
reaching.  From  my  first  settlement  in  the  West, 
I  recognized  the  presence  of  this  bad  element 
and  saw  the  necessity  of  taking  a  stand  against 
it.  This  I  did,  letting  my  trumpet  of  warning 
give  no  uncertain  sound. 

While  the  first  source  of  the  evil  lives  of  this 
element  was  undoubtedly  an  evil  heart ;  yet  there 
was  another  factor  that  could  almost  always  be 
found  at  work  inciting  them  to  their  various 
deeds  of  brutishness  and  other  wickedness,  and 
that  was  liquor,  generally  in  the  form  of  whisky. 
The  Temperance  cause  was  certainly  a  worthy 
one  under  such  conditions,  and  it  had  its  faith- 
ful advocates.  I  promptly  enrolled  myself  among 
these,  and,  though  I  say  it  myself,  I  was  fairly 
well  qualified  to  speak  on  the  subject,  having 
been  a  strictly  temperate  man,  even  through  my 
long  and  most  severe  military  experience,  and 
having  seen   many   a  promising    life    ruined    by 


188  UNDER  TWO  CAPTAINS 


drink.  There  were  difficulties  and  dangers  in 
our  crusade  for  Temperance  that  made  it  a  real 
warfare.  We  found  not  only  the  vicious  element, 
but  generally  also  the  well-meaning  majority 
against  us,  at  least  in  sentiment.  Public  meet- 
ings held  for  our  cause  were  often  disturbed  and 
sometimes  broken  up  by  acts  of  rowdyism.  Such 
cases  called  for  heroic  treatment,  and  a  time  or 
two  when  the  sons  of  Belial  went  so  far  as  to 
throw  rocks  through  the  windows,  I  made  as 
many  of  them  as  lingered  within  reach  feel  some- 
thing of  the  horrors  of  War  by  performing  on 
their  anatomies  with  a  cane  that  was  at  once 
pliable  and  heavy.  Some  of  the  rowdies  would 
get  hurt  in  these  arguments  and  threaten  me 
with  the  law  or  with  private  vengeance  ;  but  I 
was  none  the  worse  for  their  cursing,  and  a  sec- 
ond meeting  in  behalf  of  Temperance  was  always 
well  attended  in  neighborhoods  where  the  ques- 
tion had  been  thus  put  to  the  argument.  I  might 
add  that  at  times,  by  other  argument  and  appeal 
than  that  of  the  club,  not  a  few  were  led  to 
entertain  new  views  and  practices  in  the  matter 
of  Temperance. 

In  this  connection  I  may  mention  an  amusing 
incident  that  occurred  somewhat  later  in  a  town 
in  Kentucky  where  I  happened  to  be  for  a  day 
or  two.     There  was  a  drunken  brawl  in  progress 


A   ROMANCE  OF  HISTORY.  189 


on  the  street,  and  as  quite  a  number  were 
involved  in  it,  the  people  with  whom  I  was 
speaking  began  to  be  alarmed.  I  remarked  just 
then  that  a  few  hussars  would  soon  quiet  them. 
My  remark  was  caught  up  by  some  by-stander, 
and  the  word  hussar  construed  to  mean  the  men 
of  the  State  of  Indiana  (from  which  I  had  just 
come),  and  thus  the  word  "Hoosier"  came  into 
existence.  Such  is  the  irony  of  Fate  !  Learned 
men  have  labored  long  to  introduce  some  favored 
word  of  the  most  approved  classic  derivation, 
and  as  a  rule  they  have  failed.  Here  a  chance 
word  of  mine,  miscalled  by  an  ignorant  loafer, 
catches  the  popular  fancy  and  passes  into  lyit- 
erature. 

There  was  one  affair  in  which  I  became 
involved  in  those  days,  that  might  be  of  interest, 
because  of  its  unusual  features.  A  Frenchman, 
a  muscular  fellow  of  some  military  experience 
and  skill,  came  drifting  across  my  track,  and 
learning  something  of  my  record,  challenged  me 
to  a  fencing  contest.  I  had  laid  aside  my  mili- 
tary character  for  good  and  all,  I  hoped,  and  I 
refused  to  have  anything  to  do  with  the  man 
until  I  found  that,  because  of  his  boasts  and 
insinuations,  my  standing  in  the  neighborhood 
was  beginning  to  suflfer.  Then  I  agreed  to  meet 
him  when  and  where  he  pleased.     Fencing  swords 


190  UNDER   TWO   CAPTAINS, 

were  not  to  be  had  in  that  country,  so  hickory 
imitations  were  used.  The  place  of  combat  was 
a  room  about  thirty  feet  by  sixty  in  size,  and  it 
was  well  filled  with  admiring  spectators.  At  first 
I  let  the  fellow  think  that  the  day  was  his,  for, 
merely  parrying  his  strokes,  I  retreated  slowly 
toward  one  end  of  the  room.  My  antagonist 
thereupon  lifted  up  his  voice  in  triumph:  "Why 
don't  you  advance?  Why  don't  you  advance?'' 
"Protect  your  right  wrist,"  I  said;  but  a  sneer 
of  contempt  was  his  only  answer,  and  I  fetched 
him  a  blow  that  shattered  his  wrist. 

A  strange  thing  is  the  vanity  of  man,  and  this 
was  a  notable  example.  No  sooner  was  that 
Frenchman's  wrist  healed  than  he  challenged  me 
to  a  second  contest,  declaring  that  I  could  not 
cripple  him  again.  As  the  fellow  insisted  until 
he  wearied  me,  I  consented  to  meet  him  the 
second  time,  and  gave  him  a  repetition  of  his  first 
lesson. 

I  could  have  ended  my  days  in  fullest  content  in 
the  simple,  quiet  life  of  the  farm ;  but  so  it  was 
not  to  be,  for  tlie  call  of  Humanity  sounded  in  my 
ears  bidding  me  use  for  its  aid  the  talents  the 
Lord  had  given  me.  The  first  call  of  this  kind 
was  to  the  practice  of  Medicine.  Physicians  were 
scarce  in  those  days  in  the  newly-settled  districts, 
and  yet  there  was  the  need  for  their  skill,  as  the 


A  ROMANCE  OF  HISTORY.  191 


privations  and  exposure  of  pioneer  life  often 
brought  on  attacks  of  illness  and  accidents  could 
happen  on  the  frontier  just  about  as  often  as  else- 
where. So  it  came  about  that  I  was  called  upon 
as  a  man  of  education  to  advise  and  aid,  and  thus 
I  was  constrained  to  call  to  mind  what  I  had  seen 
in  boyhood  days  of  my  father's  treatment  of  dis_ 
ease  or  to  put  into  service  something  of  the  rude 
surgery  of  the  battle-field.  So  often  was  I  called 
upon  either  as  physician  or  surgeon  that  I  came 
to  be  known  as  "the  Polish  Doctor."  A  very  fair 
degree  of  success  attended  my  efiforts  ;  yet  I  did 
not  become  wealthy  through  the  practice  of  Medi- 
cine, in  fact  I  was  satisfied  if  my  outlay  for  drugs, 
etc.,  came  back  to  me.  There  were  several  rea- 
sons for  this  state  of  affairs,  the  principal  one  of 
which  was  that  I  rendered  no  bills  and  in  cases 
of  distress  refused  payment  when  offered  me. 
Then  too  there  were  a  certain  people  who  took 
my  services  as  a  matter  of  course,  forgetting  to  do 
as  much  as  to  thank  me.  Snch  treatment  I  took 
very  philosophically,  feeling  repaid  for  my  labor, 
provided  only  that  I  could  prolong  some  life  that 
was  necessary  to  a  family's  welfare,  and  especially 
if  I  could  save  the  lives  of  the  helpless  and  trusting 
little  children. 

At  times  already  in  those  first  years  in  the  West 
I  preached  to  my  neighbors,  for   I  realized    that 


192  UNDER    TWO   CAPTAINS, 

any  such  moral  reform  as  Temperance,  to  be  com- 
plete and  permanent,  must  be  grounded  in  the 
understanding  of  the  great  spiritual  truths  of 
repentance  for  sin  and  faith  in  the  Lord  Jesus. 
I  felt  the  more  justified  in  this  work  of  the  min- 
istry from  the  fact  that  before  starting  for  the 
West,  I  had  a  kind  of  instinctive  or  prophetic 
feeling  of  what  the  spiritual  necessities  of  the 
case  would  be,  and  had  myself  licensed  by  one  of 
the  Lutheran  synods  to  preach  the  gospel. 

What  is  more,  the  church  in  which  I  did  my 
first  preaching  I  built  myself  with  the  aid  of  a 
few  God-fearing  neighbors,  the  last  of  the  gold 
pieces  I  brought  with  me  from  Washington  being 
dedicated  to  the  most  worthy  cause  of  paying  for 
the  materials  and  furniture  for  this  modest  sanc- 
tuary. When  this  tabernacle  was  finished  and  set 
apart  to  the  use  of  the  Most  High,  I  was  a  happy 
man  indeed,  realizing  in  my  very  heart  that  the 
God  of  the  fathers  who  had  upheld  me  through 
so  many  perils  was  now  with  me  and  my  loved 
ones  as  never  before. 


CHAPTER  V. 
NATION   BUII.DING. 

'T^O  one  who  had  been  associated  in  any  way  with 
the  attempted  reconstruction  of  French  gov- 
ernment and  society  there  could  not  but  be  a 
constant  pleasure  in  the  political  and  social  devel- 
opment of  this  young  and  free  nation.  There  was 
no  rubbish  or  wreckage  of  Mediaevalism  in  worn- 
out  forms  of  Monarchy,  Aristocracy  and  Prelacy 
to  be  cleared  away  here.  There  were  no  fires  of 
hatred,  smouldering  for  generations,  to  burst  out 
here  in  sudden  fury  and  flame,  sweeping  the 
results  of  much  honest  and  patient  labor  into  ruin. 
Everything  here  was  in  primeval  newness  and 
freshness,  the  earth  itself  being  as  yet  unsubdued 
by  the  hand  of  man,  and  society  as  yet  unformed, 
awaiting  the  hand  of  the  statesman  and  the  edu- 
cator. This  former  work,  viz.,  the  subduing  of 
the  earth,  the  felling  of  the  forests,  the  draining 
of  the  low  lands,  the  making  of  roads,  and,  in 
general,  providing  the  necessaries  of  life,  could 
be  trusted  to  take  care  of  itself ;  for  here  the 
mighty  power  of  Self-interest  was  in  operation. 
As  for  the  latter  work,  the  true  society-building 

13  193 


194  UNDER   TWO   CAPTAINS, 

or  nation-building,  here  a  wise  and  helping  hand 
was  needed.  Without  such  a  guiding  hand  there 
was  nothing  to  be  expected  but  the  natural  drift 
of  things,  or  the  fruits  of  the  natural  spirit  of 
man.  In  Revolutionary  France  this  fruitage  was 
of  a  variety  at  which  the  civilized  world  shud- 
dered ;  here  in  the  backwoods  this  same  root  and 
stock  ran  to  all  manner  of  crudeness  and  even 
brutishness,  as  to  the  dog-fight  or  drinking  bout, 
rather  than  to  the  things  and  influences  that 
ennoble  life. 

My  part  in  changing  this  drift  toward  evil  and 
in  bringing  in  the  influences  that  uplift  was  no 
small  one;  but,  before  going  on  to  tell  of  my 
efforts  in  this  direction,  it  might  be  well  to  say  a 
few  words  about  my  personal  or  family  life. 

As  I  have  already  said,  it  was  my  privilege  to 
relieve  some  suffering  and  to  save  a  few  lives  by 
the  time  and  labor  I  gave  to  the  practice  of  Medi- 
cine. In  this  labor  of  love  I  was  enabled  to  save 
others,  but  my  own  I  could  not  save,  and  my  dear 
wife  and  two  of  the  little  ones  were  taken  from 
me  by  the  hand  of  Death.  This  bereavement  led 
very  soon  to  the  breaking  up  of  my  home  and 
then  to  my  removal  to  the  southern  part  of  the 
State.  In  the  course  of  the  years  that  followed  I 
made  my  home  in  Corydon,  then  once  more  in 
Rush    County,    in    Knightstown,    in    Hamburg, 


A   ROMANCE  OF  HISTORY.  195 


and  now  in  Sellersburg.  There  were  temporary 
sojourns  in  several  other  places  and  much  travel- 
ing ;  but  of  this  I  need  not  now  speak. 

What  was  the  special  service,  you  ask,  that  I 
now  turned  to  on  behalf  of  the  great  family  of 
man?  In  the  first  place  it  was  not  politics.  There 
is  seldom  or  ever  any  lack,  I  have  observed,  of 
those  who  are  willing  to  serve  their  country  by 
holding  office.  I  sought  no  preferment,  and  felt 
that,  as  conditions  were,  I  could  do  more  good  in 
other  directions  to  which  but  few  considered  them- 
selves called.  The  honor  of  introducing  my 
esteemed  friend,  Henry  Clay,  to  the  people  of 
Knightstown  was  accorded  me  ;  but  as  an  offset 
to  this  I  was  assailed  in  another  part  of  the  State 
as  an  imposter.  This  report  was  started  by  a 
wandering  Pole  who  came  into  the  neighborhood 
of  my  home  in  Clark  County.  I  at  once  demanded 
an  investigation,  and  my  fellow  citizens  promptly 
took  the  matter  in  hand  and  appointed  a  com- 
mittee, summoning  my  accuser  to  appear  and 
present  his  proofs.  He  could  prove  nothing,  his 
sole  argument  being  that  I  did  not  speak  the 
Polish  language  as  he  did.  A  public  meeting  was 
then  held.  Dr.  Mitchell,  a  State  Senator  presiding, 
and  the  fellow  was  publicly  reprimanded.  I  might 
say  just  here  that  my  name  and  services  under 
Napoleon  are  mentioned  in  the  book  "  Memoires 


196  UNDER   TWO   CAPTAINS. 


des  Braves  ; "  but,  when  all  is  said,  what  is  a  little, 
passing  worldly  fame  ? 

The  work  of  my  life  in  which  I  take  genuine 
satisfaction  is  that  which  I  was  led  and  strength- 
ened to  do  for  the  up-lifting  of  my  fellow  men. 
I  have  already  referred  to  my  efforts  on  behalf  of 
Temperance,  and  I  shall  speak  later  of  the  work 
I  was  enabled  to  do  in  the  gospel  ministry.  Just 
now  I  shall  say  a  few  words  about  my  efforts  for 
the  causes  of  Education  and  Philanthropy.  One 
of  the  greatest  needs  of  the  people  of  that  Western 
region  was  for  educational  institutions,  and  espe- 
cially for  such  in  which  a  future  ministry  could 
be  trained.  I  realized  this  fact  to  the  extent  of 
giving  of  my  own  means  the  money  for  the  build- 
ing of  a  brick  academy,  twenty-four  by  fifty  feet 
in  size,  at  Corydon,  Ind.,  and  employing  a  qualified 
man  as  principal.  I  also  attempted  the  establish- 
ment of  a  college  at  Hillsboro,  111.,  acted  for  some 
time  as  its  Financial  Agent,  and  out  of  my  own 
means  purchased  a  respectable  library  for  it.  How- 
ever this  effort  was  a  failure,  as  my  means  were 
limited,  and  I  was  practically  the  only  one  who 
took  a  living  interest  in  the  prospective  college. 
There  were  some  to  whom  the  cause  was  pre- 
sented whose  means  greatly  exceeded  mine,  and 
others  who  out  of  love  for  their  church  should 
have  labored  early  and  late  for  the  founding  of  a 


A  ROMANCE  OF  HISTORY.  197 


college.  The  reason  these  people  did  nothing  at 
all,  even  when  urged  to  help,  I  can  find  only  in 
the  ignorant  and  selfish  prejudice  of  the  one  class 
against  a  liberal  education  and  in  the  indifference 
and  jealousy  of  the  others.  The  thought  of  the 
changed  conditions  that  would  have  been  brought 
about  in  the  lives  of  thousands  by  the  establish- 
ment at  that  time  of  a  stronghold  of  Christian 
education  is  a  picture  upon  which  I  do  not  like  to 
look.     But  let  the  Past  bury  its  own  dead  ! 

My  labors  for  Philanthropy  were  given  to  the 
development  of  the  Immigrants'  Friend's  Society, 
an  organization  having  its  headquarters  in  Cincin- 
nati, but  whose  helpful  activities  reached  into  a 
number  of  States.  No  one  who  had  ever  looked 
thoughtfully  on  the  great  human  tide  flowing  into 
the  new  and  fertile  regions  bordering  the  Ohio,  the 
Mississippi  and  Missouri  rivers  could  doubt  the 
need  of  some  such  an  organization.  Among  the 
thousands  of  immigrants  cases  of  destitution  or  of 
other  misfortune  were  constantly  occurring  where 
the  gift  or  loan  of  a  very  small  sum  at  the  critical 
moment  would  often  relieve  the  distress  and  save  a 
family  from  falling  helplessly  into  the  wretched- 
ness of  pauperism.  Then,  again,  it  was  not  so 
much  money  that  was  needed  as  advice  and  encour- 
agement to  some  laborious  man  who,  because  of 
his  ignorance  of  the  laws  and  fear  of  the  courts, 


198  UNDER   TWO   CAPTAINS, 

was  in  danger  of  being  robbed  of  his  hard-earned 
little  property  by  the  human  sharks  whose  occupa- 
tion it  was  to  prey  on  the  unwary  and  the  helpless. 
You  would  be  surprised  to  know  upon  what  a 
foundation,  stained  with  tears  and  blood,  some  of 
the  large  fortunes  of  these  States  rest.  Extortion 
and  robbery,  carried  on  just  within  the  limits  of  the 
law  by  heartless  men,  have  resulted  in  some  big 
fortunes  in  these  Western  regions,  just  as,  I  am 
told,  the  fortunes  of  some  families  prominent  in 
the  society  of  Eastern  cities  had  their  origin  in  the 
Slave  Trade  or  in  the  manufacture  or  sale  of  liquor. 
By  giving  some  little  aid,  and  yet  oftener  by  tak- 
ing up  the  role  of  advocate  before  the  court,  I  have 
been  able  to  snatch  many  an  honest  man  or  his 
hard-won  home  from  the  very  jaws  of  these  land 
sharks.  I  am  free  to  confess  that  I  found  a  certain 
pleasure  in  thwarting  these  beasts  of  prey  and  in 
holding  them  up  to  the  scorn  of  honest  men.  This 
labor  I  considered  that  of  the  true  knight  errant, 
and  it  is  a  career  that  in  some  modified  form  can 
be  followed  wherever  men  are  found. 

Whence,  you  ask,  did  I  get  the  means  needed  to 
carry  on  this  work  for  Humanity  ?  Some  of  the 
money  came  from  the  East  and  some  from  the 
West,  some  from  the  cities  and  some  from  the 
country,  some  from  the  rich  and  some  from  the 
poor,  for  the  I^ord  raises  up  friends  for  His  work  in 


A  ROMANCE  OF  HISTORY.  199 

the  most  unexpected  places.  A  large  part,  how- 
ever, of  what  I  used  I  earned  myself,  for  my  expe- 
rience was  that  in  the  same  time  and  with  the 
same  labor  I  could  earn  more  money  than  I  could 
collect  even  for  the  best  of  causes. 

I  did  not  earn  this  money  by  farming,  nor  yet 
by  the  practice  of  Medicine,  but  by  lecturing  on 
the  career  of  Napoleon  and  kindred  topics.  Here 
was  at  least  a  small  Fortunatus'  purse,  for  my  sub- 
ject, I  found,  was  one  of  unfailing  interest  to  intel- 
ligent Americans  and,  though  I  say  it  myself,  I 
was  qualified  to  speak  effectively  on  it.  Kind 
Nature  had  given  me  a  somewhat  imposing  pres- 
ence, a  sonorous  and  pleasing  voice,  the  gift  of 
language  and  a  memory  that  has  enabled  me  to 
recount  not  a  few  memorable  utterances  almost 
verbatim.  By  the  use  of  these  gifts,  especially  in 
the  East,  where  the  greatest  population  and  wealth 
are,  I  have  earned  a  large  amount  of  money, 
besides  meeting  representative  people  of  all  sec- 
tions and  enjoying  many  pleasant  experiences. 
One  experience  I  may  mention  which,  while  not  so 
pleasant,  was  at  least  interesting. 

My  lecture  on  "  The  Destruction  of  the  Inquisi- 
tion at  Madrid "  was  very  objectionable  to  the 
Roman  Catholics,  entering  as  it  did  into  matters 
that  they  would  have  preferred  keeping  strictly  to 
themselves.     At  times  I  stirred  up  their  wrath  and 


200  UNDER   TWO    CAPTAINS, 

violence  by  delivering  this  lecture;  but  I  did  not 
let  such  outbreaks  frighten  me  from  telling  the 
whole  truth,  any  more  than  sturdy  Martin  Luther 
let  himself  be  kept  back  in  his  course  by  angry 
dukes  or  raging  devils.  I  do  not  believe  that  the 
horrors  of  the  Inquisition  could  be  repeated  in  any 
civilized  land  on  earth,  but  I  fail  to  see  that  this 
fact  demands  our  silence  in  regard  to  momentous 
facts  of  History. 

Once,  when  this  lecture  was  announced  to  be 
delivered  at  Jeffersonville,  Indiana,  I  was  warned 
by  the  Romanists  and  advised  by  my  friends  that 
it  could  not  be  given.  A  mob  gathered  to  do  me 
violence  ;  but  old  soldiers  are  not  easily  terrified 
and  I  stood  my  ground  after  the  manner  of  the 
Old  Guard.  "I  announced  the  lecture,"  I  said, 
"and  I  propose  to  deliver  it,  unless  ordered  not 
to  do  so  by  the  proper  authorities."  The  lecture 
was  delivered,  though  at  its  close  my  friends  had 
an  exciting  time  in  getting  me  safely  out  of  the 
building  and  away. 

You  cannot  but  know  the  estimate  the  great 
majority  put  upon  Wealth  and  upon  those  who 
hold  it.  Let  me  say  here.  Money  is  not  the  true 
standard  of  ability  or  success.  The  world's  great- 
est and  best  men  have  either  had  no  time  for 
money-getting,  or,  having  wealth,  have  considered 
it  only  as  a  means  to  some  nobler  end.    As  the 


A  ROMANCE  OF  HISTORY.  201 


world  reckons,  I  am  a  poor  man  in  my  old  age; 
but  two  considerable  fortunes  have  passsd  through 
my  hands,  viz.,  the  fortune,  and  high  rank  with 
it,  that  Napoleon  more  than  once  offered  me,  and 
the  fortune  I  earned  by  my  lectures.  The  first  of 
these  fortunes  I  never  accepted  (and  my  conscience 
is  the  easier  and  my  sleep  the  sweeter  for  that  fact) 
and  the  second  has  long  since  passed  out  of  my 
hands.  No  one  can  tell  me  that  it  has  been 
wasted  or  trifled  away,  for  I  know  that  it  is  out  at 
high  interest,  loaned  to  the  Lord. 

As  to  the  luxury  in  which  we  live  out  here  in 
the  woods  of  Indiana,  you  may  judge  from  the 
description  of  my  home  near  Corydon,  which  is  a 
fair  example  of  the  houses  first  built  in  these 
regions. 

This  house  was  situated  about  two  and  a  half 
miles  northwest  of  Corydon,  in  the  midst  of  a 
cleared  agricultural  district  of  rich  clay  soil.  The 
surrounding  land  abounds  in  sink  holes  and 
patches  of  *' niggerhead"  stones.  The  house 
stood  on  a  gentle  knoll,  lying  between  two  of 
these  sinks,  in  one  of  which  was  a  small  cavern, 
containing  a  small  spring  and  serving  as  a  dairy 
for  the  farm.  The  dwelling  consisted  of  two 
rooms  :  one  was  eighteen  feet  square,  built  of 
logs,  cut  from  the  forest  and  hewed  on  both  sides; 
the   cracks    were   chinked   and  plastered.      There 


202  UNDER    TWO   CAPTAINS, 

was  a  loft  room  next  the  rafters,  which  in  former 
times  had  been  reached  from  without  by  means 
of  a  ladder,  but  which  was  now  reached  by  a 
steep  stairway  in  one  corner  of  the  room.  The 
other  room  consisted  of  a  frame  addition  about 
fourteen  feet  square,  one  story  high  and  with  a 
roof  sloping  from  the  main  building.  The  whole 
building  was  covered  with  clapboards  split  out  of 
a  large  white  oak.  There  was  a  front  door  and 
window  to  the  log  room  and  a  back  door  led  to 
the  frame  part,  which  also  had  a  door  and  a 
window.  A  large,  old-fashioned  fire  place  in  one 
end  of  the  log  room  supplied  the  heat. 

Speaking  of  this  home,  I  am  reminded  that  I 
have  not  mentioned  the  fact  that  I  married  again  in 
1837,  the  lady  being  Miss  Lydia  Sieg  of  Corydon. 
I  was  sixty-four  years  old  at  the  time  and  she  in 
her  twenties ;  yet  there  was  true  affection  in  our 
union,  the  proof  of  which  statement  is  to  be  seen 
in  the  happy  life  that  we  have  lived  together.  I 
know  that  there  are  those  who  expect  reasons  or 
excuses  from  the  widower  who  marries  again.  I 
shall  at  least  not  set  up  the  usual  plea,  that  it 
was  for  the  sake  of  my  children  that  I  married 
the  second  time.  I  prefer  to  say  that  it  was  for 
my  own  sake,  that  I  might  enjoy  again  the  com- 
panionship of  woman.  Here  I  fall  back  upon  a 
great   poet   of  ancient  Greece  who  is   responsible 


A  ROMANCE  OF  HISTORY.  203 

for  the  statement  that  there  is  no  complete  man, 
since  Jupiter  in  a  moment  of  anger  divided  man 
into  two  parts,  one  of  which  he  called  woman. 

I  must  relate  one  more  of  what  I  consider  my 
life-experiences.  As  one  who  had  come  to  be 
something  of  a  public  character  I  received  many 
calls  from  strangers,  whether  prominent  or  other- 
wise, who  journeyed  my  way.  Occasionally  I  had 
the  pleasure  of  greeting  in  my  remote  Western 
home  some  countryman  or  old  comrade,  and  those 
days  were  marked  days  in  my  calendar. 

One  day  I  was  sitting  on  the  porch  of  my 
home  at  Knightstown  when  an  elderly  man  came 
down  the  street,  looking  sharply  at  the  houses 
as  he  passed.  There  was  something  strangely 
familiar  in  his  appearance  and  manner  ;  but  the 
only  man  he  reminded  me  of  had,  to  the  best  of 
my  knowledge,  fallen  years  before  in  Paris,  a 
victim  to  Bourbon  hatred.  As  he  came  face  to 
face  with  me  the  man's  face  lit  up  with  a  pecu- 
liarly winning  smile,  he  threw  into  his  bearing 
the  dignity  and  power  of  the  born  commander 
and,  in  a  voice  that  I  should  have  recognized,  I 
believe,  in  another  world,  spoke  in  French  the 
old  stirring  words  that  used  to  send  us  hurling 
ourselves  into  the  charge.  Man  or  ghost,  as  he 
might  be,  I  knew  then  that  the  figure  before  me 
was   none   other   than   Marshal    Ney,  and   in  two 


204  UNDER   TWO   CAPTAINS, 

bounds  I  was  out  in  the  street  embracing  him. 
He  told  me  in  a  few  words,  as  I  have  already  told 
you,  the  story  of  his  wonderful  escape  from  death 
and  of  his  flight  to  America  and  residence  here 
in  the  South.  At  his  request  I  introduced  him  to 
my  family  under  an  assumed  name,  for  caution 
had  become  second  nature  to  "  the  Bravest  of  the 
Brave."  The  fatted  calf  was  assuredly  killed  for 
the  entertainment  of  this  loved  one  who  had 
been  dead,  as  I  so  long  thought,  and  was  alive 
again.  Almost  every  moment  of  his  brief  stay 
we  spent  in  living  over  the  thrilling  events  of  the 
past  that  we  had  experienced  together  in  the  Old 
World,  and  in  relating  how  we  had  been  led 
to  the  point  whence  we  could  review  so  many 
mercies. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

A  SERVANT  OF  THE   LORD  JESUS  CHRIST. 

/^NE  Sunday  evening  a  year  or  two  after 
coming  West,  as  I  sat  reflecting  not  only 
on  the  events  of  the  day,  but  yet  more  on  the 
spiritual  needs  of  the  people  of  this  great,  raw 
land,  I  opened  my  Bible  almost  unconsciously  at 
the  Book  of  Acts  and  read  from  the  beginning 
until  I  came  to  Chapter  Five,  Verse  Twenty ;  then 
I  paused,  lost  in  thought.  "  Go,  stand  and  speak 
in  the  temple  to  the  people  all  the  words  of  this 
life." 

Was  not  this  work  of  the  preacher  of  the  Word 
of  God  after  all  the  noblest  in  which  any  man 
could  engage?  What  was  the  service  of  the 
greatest  monarch  of  earth  compared  with  the 
service  of  the  King  of  Kings,  who  is  also  the 
Captain  of  our  salvation  and  who  died  that  we 
might  live  ?  Had  I  not  known,  to  my  sorrow  too 
well,  how  millions  of  human  beings  had  died  in 
the  crash  of  battle  and  in  the  agony  of  those  who 
lie  maimed  and  helpless  on  the  battle-swept  field 
and  die  through  the  long  hours  or  afterwards  of 
disease  or  by  the  pangs  of  starvation — and  all 
that  one  man  might  grasp  and  hold  supreme 
power?     Even  before  all  this  destruction  of  pre- 

205 


206  UNDER  TWO  CAPTAINS, 

cious  life  had  not  other  myriads  died  in  the  awful 
havoc  of  revolution,  to  satisfy  the  blind,  brutish 
rage  of  a  de-humanized  populace  ? 

And  now  One  dies  that  many  may  live  and  live 
as  children  of  God,  even  in  this  sin-stained  life, 
and  then  through  all  the  ages  to  come  in  the 
light  of  His  face.  Surely  this  is  a  message  to  be 
proclaimed  far  and  near,  even  to  all  the  people. 
How  must  it  be  proclaimed  and  where  and  by 
whom?  A  message  so  glorious  should  be  her- 
alded to  the  world,  openly  and  boldly  ;  yes,  at 
all  times  and  by  everyone  who  knows  it  in  his 
heart. 

Was  I  such  a  one  ?  Was  I,  who  like  David  had 
been  a  man  of  blood,  a  rough-handed  soldier,  a  fit 
man  to  proclaim  this  gospel  of  pardon  and  peace  ? 
On  the  other  hand  had  not  an  all-wise  Providence 
guided  me  to  this  hour  ?  Had  I  not  been  kept 
from  present  death  one  hundred  times,  and  taken 
from  prison  and  led,  as  God's  servants  of  old,  over 
sea  and  land,  that  I  might  be  brought  to  this 
place  of  great  possible  service?  More  than  all 
this,  had  I  not  been  redeemed  with  the  precious 
blood  and  saved  from  a  bondage  and  death  in- 
finitely worse  than  any  that  the  tyrants  of  earth 
could  inflict,  even  that  of  sin  ?  And  to  what  end 
was  all  this  loving  care  of  a  Heavenly  Father, 
this  guidance  by  the  hand  of  the  true  Shepherd 


A  ROMANCE  OF  HISTORY.  207 


of  Israel,  and  these  pleadings  of  the  mighty  Spirit 
of  Truth  ? 

As  I  had  tasted  and  known  by  many  a  strange 
experience  and  in  many  a  providential  escape  that 
the  Lord  is  good,  was  I  not  one  of  those  who  should 
say:  "We  also  believe,  and  therefore  speak?" 
As  I  had  been  tried  in  my  faith  in  the  God  of  the 
fathers  and  in  His  Son,  the  Saviour  of  the  World' 
by  many  an  infidel  sneer  and  argument  of  devilish 
cunning,  and  by  the  grace  of  God  had  kept  the 
faith,  was  it  not  fitting  that  I  should  go  forth 
among  men  as  a  champion  of  that  most  holy 
faith?  Having  been  tried  with  the  fiery  trial  of 
temptation,  both  from  the  evil  thoughts  and  de- 
sires which  arise  within  and  by  the  assaults  of 
evil  from  without,  was  I  not  one  to  testify  to  the 
world  that  there  is  one  who  takes  His  place  by  the 
side  of  those  who  are  called  upon  to  pass  through 
the  fiery  furnace? 

As  I  thought  on  these  heart-searching  questions,  ; 
there  came  whisperings  of  my  guardian  angel 
whose  voice  had  directed  me  into  the  path  of 
Right  many  a  time  before.  Amid  these  whisper- 
ings I  heard  in  my  spirit  the  voice  of  the  Lord 
Jesus  saying  unto  me :  Thou  also  art  a  witness  to 
these  things. 

To  tell  the  whole  truth,  I  must  confess  that  Self 
had  his  word  on  this  question,    urging  that,  if  I 


208  UNDER  TWO  CAPTAINS, 


continued  to  give  my  efforts  for  the  relief  of  suffer- 
ing humanity,  I  was  certainly  justified  in  giving 
part  of  my  time  to  my  own  interests,  developing 
my  powers  in  the  lecture  field  and  enjoying  for 
myself  and  my  family  a  fair  measure  of  the  harvest 
there  to  be  reaped. 

However,  I  realized  that  ray  call  was  from  the 
Lord  Himself,  and  not  to  be  ignored  ;  the  only 
question  was  that  of  my  qualifications  for  the  oflSce 
of  the  ministry,  as  these  should  appear  to  others 
and,  above  all,  to  the  Church.  It  is  true  that  I 
was  more  than  sixty  years  of  age  when  I  resolved 
upon  this  step,  but  then  my  vigor  was  unabated, 
and  I  had  not  only  those  years  of  experience  in 
the  great  school  of  Life  ;  but  also  the  spiritual 
strength  that  came  from  my  early  training  in 
the  Law  of  the  Lord  and  from  the  faithful  use 
through  more  than  forty  years  of  the  whole  Word 
that  is  profitable  for  doctrine,  for  reproof,  for  cor- 
rection, for  instruction  in  righteousness. 

Much  technical  theological  knowledge  was  lack- 
ing in  my  case ;  but  I  knew  my  Bible  and  I  knew 
the  heart  of  man,  and  my  own  heart  as  well.  The 
qualifications  of  many  of  the  ministers  of  the  gos- 
pel in  this  region  at  that  time  were  certainly  no 
greater  than  my  own,  and  some  of  them  were 
giving  only  a  half  service,  devoting  the  larger 
part  of  the  week  to  worldly  callings  and  only  one 


A  ROMANCE  OF  HISTORY.  209 


day  to  the  work  of  the  Lord.  There  was  no  col- 
lege or  seminary  accessible  to  us  in  those  days  in 
which  could  be  done  the  great  and  necessary  work 
that  my  friend,  Dr.  S.  S.  Schmucker  was  doing  at 
Gettysburg  in  educating  together,  /.  e.  into  one- 
ness of  faith  and  spirit,  a  ministry  for  the  needs 
of  our  field.  With  us  it  was  much  as  at  one  time 
in  Israel,  "  Every  man  did  what  was  right  in  his 
own  eyes." 

I  clearly  saw  this  sad  fact  of  the  lack  of  unity 
among  our  scanty  forces  when  I  visited  the  newly- 
organized  Synod  of  the  West  in  October  of  the 
year  1835  at  its  meeting  in  Louisville,  Ky.  How- 
ever I  was  not  deterred  from  my  purpose  by  this 
fact,  but  rather  somewhat  impelled  to  join  the 
little  band  and  do  what  in  me  lay  to  increase  its 
unity  and  efficiency.  Accordingly  just  one  year 
later  I  was  ordained  to  the  holy  gospel  ministry  by 
the  laying  on  of  the  hands  of  the  elders  who  were 
such  in  truth,  men  who  had  toiled  and  sacrificed 
for  the  work  of  the  Master.  The  service  was  a  very 
plain  one ;  yet  I  felt  that  it  meant  promotion  on 
the  field  of  battle  at  the  hands  of  fellow  soldiers. 

And  what,  you  ask,  has  been  the  especial  work 
of  my  ministry  ?  Before  answering  this  question 
I  must  state  what  I  consider  the  ministry  itself  to 
be.  Is  it  not  the  service  of  one's  fellow  men  in 
the  light  and  spirit  of  the  gospel  of  Christ?  As 
"14 


210  UNDER  TWO  CAPTAINS, 

I  understand  the  meaning  of  this  word,  I  was 
engaged  in  the  work  of  the  ministry,  not  only 
when  preaching  the  word  and  administering  the 
sacraments,  but  also  when  caring  for  the  sick  and 
injured  for  sweet  Charity's  sake  or  when  relieving 
the  destitute  or  even  when  securing  justice  with- 
out price  for  the  oppressed. 

Considered  with  a  view  to  its  extent,  my  minis- 
try was  a  truly  apostolic  one  in  its  journeyings  and 
hardships.  During  the  score  of  years  of  labor  in 
the  ministry  that  have  been  granted  me  I  have 
made  repeated  trips  through  Indiana,  Ohio,  Illi- 
nois, Kentucky,  Tennessee  and  Missouri,  preach- 
ing, catechising  and  organizing  congregations. 
Alone  in  the  pathless  forests  and  over  the  seem- 
ingly limitless  prairies  and  through  swift  rivers  I 
have  journeyed,  destitute  for  months  at  a  time  of 
all  the  ordinary  comforts  of  life,  that  I  might 
preach  Christ  and  His  kingdom  of  righteousness, 
peace  and  joy  in  the  Holy  Ghost.  The  only 
weapon  I  carried  on  these  solitary  journeys  was  a 
sword,  viz.,  the  sword  of  the  Spirit  of  Truth,  and 
with  this  weapon  I  have  put  to  flight  now  and 
again  whole  mobs  of  profane  swearers  and  scoffers 
at  the  faith  of  the  gospel  of  Christ.  However 
these  brief  labors  and  sufferings  are  not  worthy  of 
mention  ;  they  either  were  a  joy  in  themselves,  or 
they  spurred  the  old  war  horse  on  to  new  activity. 


A  ROMANCE  OF  HISTORY.  211 

Passing  from  my  own  labors  to  speak  of  church 
life  in  an  organized  form,  as  in  synods,  I  must 
admit  that  here  there  was  a  great  lack.  Not  only 
were  the  men  and  means  lacking  with  which  to 
occupy  the  fields  standing  ripe  to  the  harvest,  but 
there  was  a  worse  lack  in  the  almost  utter  absence 
of  oneness  of  spirit  and  purpose.  At  times,  when 
united  effort  was  needed  for  the  carrying  through 
of  the  work  of  the  Church  and  hardly  a  trace  of 
this  unanimity  could  be  found,  I  used  to  think 
almost  with  longing  of  the  spirit  that  made  the 
armies  of  Napoleon  all  but  irresistible.  This  was 
a  spirit  of  vain  glory  or  of  evil ;  yet  it  was  an 
esprit  de  corps^  and  it  drove  the  armies  on  to  vic- 
tory. In  those  little  synodical  bands  there  seemed 
at  times  to  be  almost  more  opinions  than  men,  and 
the  only  spirit  that  all  had  in  common  was  the 
spirit  of  individualism,  leading  each  one  to  consider 
himself  the  centre  of  the  universe,  about  which  all 
should  revolve. 

Though  I  say  it  myself,  I  labored  for  those 
things  that  tended  toward  unity,  seeing  to  it  that 
the  Minutes  of  Synod  were  printed,  though  at  my 
own  expense  occasionally,  and  raising  or  giving 
personally  the  salary  of  a  synodical  missionary, 
whose  field  of  labor  was  Cincinnati.  Notwith- 
standing these  efforts  of  mine,  I  could  not  admon- 
ish  the   brethren   on   the  great   subject   of  unity 


212  UNDER  TWO  CAPTAINS, 


without  bringing  down  upon  my  head  all  manner 
of  personal  attack  and  insinuation.  These  person- 
alities and  insinuations  to  which  some  of  the 
brethren  had  recourse  had  the  sharper  point  from 
the  fact  that  those  making  the  thrust  had  noted 
with  some  care  my  peculiarities  or  infirmities,  if 
you  please,  and  were  also  aware  that  there  was  one 
in  this  country  bearing  my  name  who  was  not  an 
honest  man.  To  tell  a  full  and  truthful  story,  I 
must  confess  here  an  act  of  weakness  into  which  I 
fell  under  such  provocation.  At  one  of  our  meet- 
ings I  was  urging  the  laggards  to  activity  on 
behalf  of  some  worthy  cause,  when  I  got  as  my 
answer  some  insinuation  as  to  my  honesty  in  pur- 
pose and  act.  Then  I  sinned  before  God  and  man, 
for  blind  wrath,  fiercer  than  the  rage  of  battle, 
took  complete  possession  of  me,  and  I  started  for 
that  man  with  but  one  thought — to  destroy  him 
with  one  blow.  But  the  Lord  is  merciful,  and  He 
gave  one  of  the  brethren  the  wisdom  to  say  at  that 
instant:  "Hold!  this  is  not  Napoleon's  army!" 
More  was  not  needed,  for  my  self-possession 
returned  as  quickly  as  it  had  left  me,  and  I  apolo- 
gized to  the  Chairman  for  my  outbreak  of  wrath, 
and  also  to  the  man  upon  whom  I  had  turned  and 
to  all  the  brethren.  I  sinned  grievously  here  ;  but 
the  insect  who  stung  me  was  surely  not  to  be 
commended. 


A  ROMANCE  OF  HISTORY.  213 


What  is  needed  in  our  Protestant  hosts  to-day  to 
bring  them  to  the  efficiency  to  which  they  are 
called  and  destined  ?  To  answer  in  a  word,  I 
should  say  Consecration  to  their  most  holy  cause, 
in  place  of  the  Individualism  now  so  prevalent. 
This  devotion  to  a  cause  made  Ancient  Rome  mis- 
tress of  the  world,  and  it  is  the  strength  of  Modern 
Rome  to-day.  Many,  as  I  know  from  good  author- 
ity, are  the  diflferences  and  divisions  within  the 
Church  of  Rome  ;  but  they  are  all  suppressed,  or, 
at  least,  kept  strictly  subordinate  to  the  one  all- 
important  interest. 

When  Evangelical  Protestantism  acquires  this 
discipline  of  the  patriot  and  the  soldier,  it  will 
be  able  to  do  its  great  and  destined  work.  Order 
is  heaven's  first  law,  and  order  and  subordination 
there  must  be  in  the  work  of  the  kingdom  of  God 
among  men,  as  there  was  in  the  work  of  Creation, 
and,  as  Revelation  tells  us,  there  is  in  heaven  and 
in  the  presence  of  God. 

Once  and  again  there  has  risen  before  my  spirit 
the  vision  of  the  Church  in  the  Western  world,  as 
she  is  to  be  when  purified  after  her  experience  with 
Sectarianism  and  Rationalism  and  consecrated  to 
her  most  holy  cause. 

Christ,  the  Great  Head,  has  promised  to  be  with 
His  Church  even  to  the  end  of  the  ages,  and  in  the 
blessing  of  that  promise   His   Church    has   been 


214  UNDER  TWO  CAPTAINS, 

moving  steadily  onward,  conquering  and  to  con- 
quer. In  this  favored  Western  world,  whose  civil- 
zation  is  the  fruitage  of  all  the  ages,  she  surely  has 
her  greatest  triumphs  to  achieve.  Shall  there  be 
progress  in  knowledge  and  invention  passing  the 
wildest  dreams  of  those  of  former  days,  and  the 
Gospel  of  Christ,  that  alone  by  the  side  of  all 
human  culture  is  the  power  of  God  unto  salvation, 
be  allowed  to  lie  unused  and  forgotten  ?  It  is  no 
such  gloomy  prospect  as  this  that  rises  before  my 
faith.  I  believe,  and  rejoice  in  my  belief,  that, 
when  the  quick-witted  people  of  this  Western  land 
have  tasted  one  and  another  of  the  waters  of  this 
life  that  cannot  satisfy  the  soul's  thirst,  they  will 
come  in  their  myriads  to  drink  of  that  water, 
which,  if  a  man  drink,  he  shall  never  thirst.  Hav- 
ing been  led  hither  and  thither  by  many  blind 
leaders  of  the  blind,  the  masses  of  this  people  will, 
I  believe,  turn  in  God's  good  time  to  Him  who  is 
the  Way,  the  Truth  and  the  Life. 

Free  from  the  trammels  of  the  State,  supported 
by  the  eager  and  generous  spirit  of  the  youngest 
and  mightiest  of  nations,  and  upheld  by  the  direct- 
ing hand  of  the  Almighty  who  held  this  Western 
hemisphere  so  long  in  reserve  for  His  appointed 
ones,  the  Church  of  Christ  has  here  her  grandest 
future.  When  the  Lord's  portion  of  the  super- 
abundant American  resources  and  of  the  tireless 


A  ROMANCE  OF  HISTORY.  215 

American  energy  shall  have  been  given  to  His 
service,  then  surely  there  will  speedily  follow  the 
conquest  of  the  world  for  Christ. 


VALEDICTORY. 

piVE  years  more  than  the  allotted  four  score 
have  been  mine  to  enjoy,  for  the  most  part 
in  the  fullness  of  health  and  vigor,  and  at  all 
times  as  one  led  and  sustained  by  the  hand  of  the 
Lord.  Last  and  best  of  all,  a  ministry  of  the 
glorious  gospel  of  Peace  has  been  granted  me, 
that,  year  for  year,  has  equaled  the  period  I 
gave  to  the  cruel  pursuits  of  War.  Men  have 
fallen  under  my  hand  in  battle,  it  is  true ;  but 
by  the  grace  and  blessing  of  God,  much  greater 
is  the  number  of  those  whom  it  has  been  my 
privilege  to  snatch  from  Death  through  the  min- 
istry of  healing.  By  the  favor  of  the  Lord,  still 
greater,  I  believe,  is  the  number  of  those  whom 
I  have  been  used  to  lead  out  of  the  bondage  of 
the  second  death  into  the  unending  life  and  bless- 
edness of  the  sons  of  God. 

As  I  can  see  now,  my  life  has  been  divided 
into  its  distinct  periods,  something  as  was  the 
life  of  Moses,  the  man  of  God.  In  my  life  a 
score  of  years  was  given  to  preparation  ;  then  a 
score  to  the  service  of  this  world,  chiefly  in  the 
pursuits  of  War  ;  a  score  to  the  readjustment  of 
life  to  the  conditions  of  the  New  World  and  of 

216 


A  ROMANCE  OF  HISTORY.  217 


Peace;  lastly,  a  score  to  the  service  of  the  Great 
Captain. 

And  now  the  bodily  mechanism,  so  fearful  and 
wonderful,  is  running  down.  The  stream  of  my 
life  is  nearing  the  mighty  ocean  of  Eternity,  and 
already  my  spirit  hears  the  pulsation  of  the  bil- 
lows of  the  shoreless  main.  Now  comes  the 
premonition  of  the  end.  I  feel  that  the  time  is 
near  when  I  must  die ;  not,  as  I  so  often 
thought,  in  the  brutish  rage  of  desperate  battle, 
but  most  quietly,  surrounded  by  my  loved  ones, 
and  filled  with  the  peace  that  the  world  can 
neither  give  nor  take  away. 

What  then?  Dissolution?  Annihilation?  Ab- 
sorption into  the  Infinite?  No;  a  thousand  times 
No,  as  far  as  the  soul,  my  true  Self,  is  concerned. 
This  cannot  be  the  end,  for  only  now  at  long 
last  clearness  of  understanding  has  come  ;  this 
must  be  the  moment  of  pause  before  the  begin- 
ning of  real  life. 

This  body,  this  poor,  battered  house  of  clay, 
shall  return  to  the  dust  from  which  it  was 
fashioned ;  yet  I  shall  not  be  unclothed,  but 
clothed  upon,  even  with  the  strength  and  beauty 
of  immortality.  Life  is  from  above,  from  the 
Father  of  Light  and  of  Life  and,  once  given,  it 
cannot  be  destroyed  by  mortal  weakness  or  decay  ; 
but  is  forever,  though   Time  pass   into  Eternity. 


218  UNDER  TWO  CAPTAINS. 


Is  this  soul,  this  true  and  nobler  Self  that  is 
just  coming  to  realize  its  worth  and  responsi- 
bility, to  be  swallowed  up  like  a  drop  of  water 
by  the  ocean,  and  lost  forever  for  any  life  of  its 
own,  as  even  some  Christian  poets  have  dreamed? 

No;  my  personal  life  is  not  now  to  end.  Life 
is  just  about  to  begin,  for  my  heart  tells  me  I 
am  just  about  to  enter  the  city  and  the  palace 
of  the  Great  King,  after  a  life  of  wandering 
and  hardship.  This  time-beaten  and  war-worn 
body  must  soon  be  laid  away  in  some  quiet 
God's  acre ;  but  I  myself  shall  live,  as,  hound  to 
earth,  I  never  have  lived.  I  realize  that  I  am 
about  to  know  many  things  of  the  first  import- 
ance, after  which  my  spirit  has  long  sought.  I 
am  elated  with  the  thought  of  being  about  to 
meet  the  hosts  of  the  pure  and  truly  great  spirits 
who  have  gone  before.  Most  and  best  of  all,  I 
know  and  rejoice  in  my  inmost  heart  that  I  am 
soon  to  see  the  Lord,  to  stand  before  my  Great 
Captain  and  my  Saviour,  May  my  summons  to 
stand  before  the  King  of  Kings  soon  come ! 

[finis.] 


ADDENDUM. 

'X'HERE  is  another  life  whose  course  ran  side  by- 
side,  as  it  were,  for  twenty  years  with  that  of 
the  truly  manly  spirit  whose  career  we  have  been  con- 
sidering. This  life  also  was  most  closely  associated 
with  that  of  the  great  Corsican,  and  it  too  bears  the 
marks  of  real  nobility,  unaffected  by  the  acid  test  of 
the  most  searching  publicity. 

This  other  one  of  Nature's  noblemen  and  companion 
in  arms  of  the  hero  of  our  story  was  no  one  less  than 
Marshal  Ney,  "the  Bravest  of  the  Brave"  on  Europe's 
battlefields  during  the  years  of  the  Napoleonic  wars. 

Michel  Ney  was  born  at  Saar-Louis,  Province  of 
Lorraine,  about  26  miles  from  Metz,  in  1769,  which 
was  also  the  birth  year  of  Napoleon  and  of  Wellington. 
His  father,  Peter  Ney,  had  been  a  soldier  in  the  Seven 
Years'  War,  had  distinguished  himself  at  the  battle  of 
Rossbach  and  was  very  proud  of  his  career  in  the  Army. 
Michel  at  an  early  age  showed  great  fondness  for  the 
military  life.  Childhood  passed  with  its  studies,  then 
a  year  or  so  in  the  study  of  Law,  then  practical  life  as 
overseer  of  mines  and  iron  works,  and  at  eighteen  the 
young  man  followed  his  bent  and  enlisted  in  a  regiment 
of  Hussars  at  Metz.  By  earnest  application  he  soon 
mastered  the  knowledge  essential  to  the  soldier's 
calling,  while  he  gained  his  comrades'  admiration  by 
his  skill  with  the  sword  and  by  the  ease  and  boldness 
with  which  he  broke  and  rode  the  most  dangerous 

219 


220  ADDENDUM. 


horses.  His  rise  in  service  was  rapid,  promotion  coming 
to  him  five  times  in  the  year  1792,  and  in  1793  he  was 
appointed  Aide-de-camp  to  General  Lamarche,  one 
of  the  ablest  officers  of  the  Revolutionary  period. 
This  general  was  killed  and  Ney  was  given  other  ser- 
vice in  which  he  distinguished  himself  so  greatly  that 
General  Kleber  put  him  at  the  head  of  a  select  body  of 
500  men,  known  as  Partizans,  whose  duty  was  the 
perilous  one  of  reconnoitering  the  enemy's  positions 
and  cutting  off  any  separate  detachments  they  might 
meet.  His  success  here  was  marked  and  he  was  soon 
made  a  Brigadier  General,  a  rank  of  which  he  did  not 
deem  himself  worthy  and  which  he  strongly  wished  to 
decline.  The  estimate  put  upon  him  by  those  in  com- 
mand was  justified  by  four  brilliant  victories  that 
Ney  gained  in  close  succession,  viz.:  the  capture  of 
Wurzburg,  Forchheim,  Nuremberg  and  Sulzbach. 

It  was  Ney's  practice  during  the  whole  of  his  most 
eventful  career  to  take  the  lead  personally  in  every 
important  action.  While  this  practice  endeared  him 
to  his  soldiers  and  added  greatly  to  his  success  in  battle, 
it  put  him  in  many  a  place  of  peril  and  cost  him  many 
a  wound. 

Near  Dierdorf  Ney  with  500  Hussars  attacked  the 
Austrians,  6000  strong,  and  held  them  for  four  hours 
until  the  French  infantry  and  cavalry  reserve  could 
come  up.  Soon  after  with  a  small  force  he  attacked 
the  enemy  near  Giessen,  but  was  greatly  outnumbered 
and  his  troops  fled.  Ney's  horse  fell  with  him,  rolling 
into  a  ravine.  He  was  surrounded  and  fought  six 
dragoons  single  handed  and  was  not  taken  even  then, 


A  ROMANCE  OF  HISTORY.  221 


though  his  sword  broke  in  half,  till  his  foot  slipped  and 
he  fell.  His  capture  was  deeply  felt  by  the  French 
army  and  even  by  the  Directory,  and  before  long  his 
exchange  was  brought  about. 

By  this  time  Napoleon  had  become  deeply  interested 
in  the  brilliant  young  general  and  had  Josephine  in- 
troduce him  to  an  intimate  friend  of  her  daughter 
Hortense,  Mile.  Aglae  Auguie,  a  truly  beautiful  and 
noble  young  lady.  It  was  a  case  of  love  at  first  sight 
between  two  noble  spirits  and  they  were  married  and 
lived  most  happily  till  the  fortunes  of  war  brought  a 
great  grief  into  their  lives,  but  of  this  we  shall  speak 
later. 

In  this  connection  a  word  may  be  said  regarding 
Ney's  financial  situation.  Although  he  was  made  a 
Marshal  of  France  and  a  Duke  and  had  a  station  to 
maintain,  and  though  he  had  many  opportunities  for 
enriching  himself  through  the  plunders  of  war,  his 
high  sense  of  honor  kept  him  in  comparative  poverty 
through  his  whole  career  and  made  him  restrain  his 
soldiers  from  the  plundering  so  common  in  war. 

About  this  time  Ney  was  made  Minister  Plenipo- 
tentiary to  Switzerland,  and  showed  himself  to  be  a 
statesman  of  ability,  as  well  as  the  general.  French 
aggressions,  running  through  some  years,  had  aroused 
a  bitter  feeling  among  the  Swiss,  yet  Ney,  coming 
with  an  army  of  30,000  and  making  demands  in  the 
name  of  France,  treated  them  so  justly  that  he  gained 
their  strong  friendship,  which  they  expressed  in  an 
official  letter  from  the  confederated  cantons,  accom- 
panied with  a  rich  gift.     A  sentence  or  two  of  this 


222  ADDENDUM. 


letter  will  show  the  spirit  that  the  Swiss  recognized 
in  a  truly  great  man  placed  in  a  trying  situation. 

"Switzerland  is  restored  to  peace;  order  is  every- 
where established;  the  diversity  of  opinions  among  us 
merges  each  day  into  a  spirit  of  moderation  and  har- 
mony. An  act  of  kindness  attaches  him  who  performs 
it  as  well  as  him  upon  whom  it  is  conferred;  we  there- 
fore do  not  fear  that  you  will  forget  us." 

There  have  been  those  who  considered  Ney  a  born 
soldier,  but  as  otherwise  lacking  in  ability.  His 
masterly  civil  administration  in  Switzerland  is  an 
answer  to  this  opinion,  as  is  also  his  work  on  the  art  of 
war,  which  he  called  by  the  modest  name  of  Military 
Studies,  but  of  which  a  British  military  writer  of  stand- 
ing says,  "In  the  Military  Studies  of  Marshal  Ney  we 
see  the  hand  of  a  master." 

During  the  course  of  the  World  War  we  heard  no 
little  discussion  of  the  possibility  of  a  German  invasion 
of  England  from  the  Channel  ports  of  France,  and  the 
general  belief  was  that  it  was  an  impossible  thing. 
It  may  be  of  interest  to  recall  that  Napoleon  had  a 
great  army  under  Soult  and  Ney  at  Boulogne,  well 
supplied  with  gunboats  and  other  light  craft  and  so 
drilled  that  25,000  men  were  actually  embarked  in 
10  minutes.  Ney's  careful  studies  of  the  winds,  calms, 
fogs  and  other  natural  conditions  showed  that  it  was 
quite  possible  under  any  one  of  several  conditions  to 
elude  the  British  fleet  and  to  put  a  strong  army  on 
British  soil  with  but  slight  resistance.  This  project 
was  never  put  to  the  trial  because  of  the  recognized 
incompetency  of  the  French  naval  officers  and  because 
of  the  recognized  efficiency  of  the  British, 


A  ROMANCE  OF  HISTORY.  223 


Time  does  not  permit  more  than  the  passing  mention 
of  Ney's  truly  great  victories  at  Elchingen,  Jena, 
Soldau  and  not  a  few  others  that  History  records;  we 
must  pass  on  to  the  crowning  achievements  of  his 
mihtary  career — his  conduct  of  the  retreat  from  Russia 
and  his  part  in  the  battle  of  Waterloo. 

That  the  great  retreat  did  not  again  and  again  be- 
come a  hopeless  rout  and  massacre  of  the  whole  army 
was  due  to  the  indomitable  bravery  and  wonderful  re- 
sourcefulness of  one  man — who  fought  and  contrived 
seeming  impossibilities  and  fought  again  against 
crushing  odds  for  forty  days  and  nights  of  incessant 
horror.  Napoleon  himself  had  fled  as  soon  as  he 
realized  the  hopelessness  of  the  situation,  and  all  his 
leaders  but  Ney  had  followed  his  selfish  example. 
Ney  only  held  his  post  of  deadly  peril  with  but  a  few 
thousands,  and  these  falling  day  by  day  from  cold, 
famine,  disease  and  at  the  hands  of  the  enemy. 

Let  us  glance  at  but  two  instances  of  many.  Near 
Krasnoi  Ney  found  his  way  blocked  by  the  Russians 
with  80,000  men  and  200  cannon,  while  he  had  but 
4000  men  and  6  cannon.  The  Russians  used  treachery 
besides,  shooting  down  many  of  the  French  while  off 
their  guard  during  a  parley,  yet  Ney  broke  their  first 
line  by  a  frontal  attack  and  then  made  a  masterly  re- 
treat during  the  night,  crossing  the  Dneiper  at  the  one 
place  where  the  ice  was  thick  enough  to  bear  men  on 
foot.  At  the  crossing  of  the  Beresina,  where  the  bag- 
gage of  the  whole  army  and  36,000  men  were  lost, 
Ney  again  took  the  post  of  danger,  formed  a  rear  guard 
and  even  fought  in  the  ranks  as  a  private  till  his  force 


224  ADDENDUM. 


was  reduced  to  sixty  men,  that  he  might  hold  the 
enemy  in  check  and  make  possible  the  escape  of  a  few 
more  of  the  defeated  and  spiritless  Grand  Army. 

The  story  of  Waterloo  need  not  be  told  again  here. 
Let  it  suffice  to  say  that  for  Ney  it  was  a  glorious  ending 
of  a  glorious  military  career.  After  desperate  fighting, 
he  took  La  Haye  Sainte,  a  strong  fortified  position  only 
300  yards  from  the  centre  of  Wellingston's  line  of 
battle.  Had  not  Napoleon  selfishly  taken  away  Ney's 
reserve,  Ney  could,  in  all  probability,  have  swept  away 
the  British  centre.  "Within  thy  bosom  are  thy  fateful 
stars,"  says  the  poet,  and  Napoleon's  famous  star  of 
destiny  certainly  went  down,  to  rise  no  more,  when  his 
selfish  impulse  deprived  the  man  who  was  his  right 
hand  of  the  weapon  with  which  to  strike  an  effective 
blow.  The  story  of  the  magnificent  charge  of  the  Old 
Guard,  led  by  Ney  as  the  sun  was  setting,  was  the  grand 
climax  of  the  great  battle,  but  it  was  too  late,  for  the 
massed  artillery  of  the  British  and  their  reserve  ranks 
of  infantry  mowed  the  Guard  as  grass  before  the  scythe. 

The  vengeful  Bourbon  autocracy  soon  gathered  in 
those  who  were  counted  as  leaders  in  bringing  Napoleon 
back  from  Elba  and  Ney  was  marked  for  the  slaughter. 
The  Duke  of  Wellington,  who  admired  Ney  for  his  noble 
qualities  and  who  had  been  deeply  touched  by  the 
appeals  of  Ney's  friends,  went  to  Louis  XVIIL,  the 
poor  stick  of  monarchy  whom  he  twice  put  on  the 
throne,  to  ask  that  Ney's  life  might  be  spared,  but  he 
was  insulted  publicly  by  Louis  turning  his  back  upon 
him  as  he  drew  near.  Wellington  felt  the  insult 
keenly  and  said  to  the  courtiers  standing  by,  "You 
forget  that  I  comm-anded  the  armies  which  put  your 


A  ROMANCE  OF  HISTORY.  225 


king  on  his  throne.  I  will  never  again  enter  the  royal 
presence." 

What  the  histories  tell  of  Ney's  execution  you  can 
read.  However  there  is  another  account,  given  by  an 
English  Member  of  Parliment,  who,  strangely  enough, 
happened  to  be  at  the  secluded  spot  where  the  execu- 
tion took  place,  and  given  years  later  in  America  by 
Peter  Stuart  Ney  to  a  few  trusted  friends. 

The  account  that  we  believe  can  be  shown  to  set 
forth  the  truth  gives  us  the  following  points:  At  an 
early  hour  the  carriage  containing  Ney,  several  officers 
and  a  priest  made  its  way  through  the  Luxembourg 
Gardens  and  stopped  at  a  back  entrance,  where  there 
was  only  an  alley,  yet  a  picket  of  soldiers  near  by  who 
had  been  on  duty  there  for  over  four  hours.  Here 
Ney  left  the  carriage  and  walked  toward  a  wall,  the 
soldiers  meanwhile  loading  their  own  guns.  Ney  then 
turned,  took  a  few  steps  towards  the  soldiers,  protested 
before  God  and  man  that  he  had  never  betrayed  his 
country,  told  the  soldiers  not  to  fire  till  he  put  his 
hand  to  his  heart;  bidding  them  in  a  low  tone  to  aim 
high,  he  then  struck  himself  over  the  heart,  gave  the 
command  to  fire  and  fell  motionless  at  the  volley. 
Some  colored  fluid  ran  out  from  under  his  vest  and  an 
Englishman  suddenly  stepped  up  and  picked  up  a  few 
small  stones  that  had  been  stained  by  the  fluid,  wrapped 
them  up  and  quickly  walked  away.  Within  three 
minutes  the  body  was  taken  up  and  conveyed  in  the 
same  carriage  in  which  the  party  had  come  to  a 
Maternity  Hospital  that  stood  shut  in  by  high  walls, 
a  few  hundred  yards  from  the  scene  of  the  execution. 

15        ^ 


226  ADDENDUM. 


Here  it  lay,  under  guard,  the  rest  of  that  day  and 
(History  says)  until  daybreak,  when  it  was  taken 
secretly  to  the  cemetery  of  Pere  la  Chaise  and  buried 
without  any  ceremony  whatever.  As  Mr.  P.  S.  Ney 
of  North  Carolina  told  a  few  trusted  friends,  the  sup- 
posed corpse  was  acting  very  differently  by  riding  for 
his  life  all  through  that  night  toward  Bordeaux,  where, 
after  a  brief  concealment,  he  took  ship  for  America. 
It  may  be  added  that  while  the  body  lay  in  the  Hospital 
(History  says  with  nine  bullets  in  the  body  itself  and 
three  in  the  head  through  the  face)  the  officer  on  guard 
made  a  sketch  of  it  that  was  so  good  that  an  engraving 
was  later  made  from  it  for  private  circulation.  It  is 
said  of  this  that  a  smile  of  the  most  winning  placidity 
seemed  to  play  on  the  face  of  the  defunct. 

After  a  tedious  winter  voyage  on  the  sailing  vessel 
Ney  landed  at  Charleston,  S.  C,  on  January  29,  1816, 
and  here  or  in  this  vicinity  he  spent  three  years  in 
strict  seclusion,  occupying  himself  with  systematic 
study.  Although  he  was  supplied  with  funds  beyond 
his  needs,  a  man  of  his  temperament  could  not  think 
of  passing  the  rest  of  his  days  in  idleness,  and  a  man 
who  had  commanded  great  armies  could  not  be  content 
in  a  subordinate  position,  while  any  situation  that 
carried  with  it  publicity  might  be  disastrous  to  him- 
self or  to  friends  in  France.  Accordingly  the  Bravest 
of  the  Brave  decided  upon  the  absolute  sway  of  the 
country  schoolmaster  of  those  times  as  his  calling,  and, 
on  the  whole,  or  as  far  as  happiness  was  possible  for 
an  exile  from  a  beloved  family  and  country,  he  was 
happy  in  this  calling,  v 


A  ROMANCE  OF  HISTORY.  227 


Peter  Stuart  Ney,  as  he  called  himself,  was  j&rst 
known  in  the  United  States  in  1819,  when  he  was  rec- 
ognized in  Georgetown,  S.  C,  as  Marshal  Ney,  where- 
upon he  disappeared.  In  the  fall  of  this  year  Col. 
Benj.  Rogers  of  Brownsville,  S.  C,  met  Ney  at  a  hotel 
at  Cheraw,  S.  C,  and  engaged  him  to  teach  the  village 
school.  He  taught  in  Brownsville  for  three  years  and 
then  went  to  Mocksville,  N.  C,  where  he  taught,  as 
also  in  Iredell  County  and  elsewhere  in  western  North 
Carolina.  In  1828  he  taught  in  Mecklenburg  County, 
Va.,  for  two  years.  Returning  to  North  Carolina,  he 
taught  in  Lincoln,  Iredell,  Davie,  Cabarrus  and 
Rowan  counties  till  August,  1844.  He  then  went  to 
Darlington,  S.  C;  then  back  to  North  CaroHna,  teach- 
ing in  Lincoln  and  Rowan  counties  till  his  death  in 
1846. 

During  the  years  from  18 19  to  1846,  spent  by  Ney 
largely  in  teaching,  he  lived  in  homes  of  leading  fami- 
lies in  a  number  of  neighborhoods,  associated  with  them 
intimately  day  by  day  and  taught  their  children  in 
school.  Practically  without  an  exception  these  many 
representative  people  from  different  communities  unite 
in  the  judgment  that  Peter  Stuart  Ney  was  a  high- 
minded  gentleman,  an  accomplished  scholar,  and  also 
that  he  was  none  other  than  Marshal  Ney. 

Let  us  cite  but  one  such  witness,  Dr.  J.  R.  B.  Adams 
of  Statesville,  N.  C,  who  says  that  he  knew  P.  S.  Ney 
intimately  and  was  entirely  satisfied  that  he  was 
Marshal  Ney.  He  speaks  of  Ney  as  a  fine  specimen 
of  manhood,  being  tall,  very  strongly  built,  with  a 
bearing  that  might  be  described  as  majestic,  and  with 


228  ADDENDUM. 


eyes  that  were  uncommonly  brilliant  and  piercing 
and  that  seemed  to  look  clear  through  you.  He  was 
a  splendid  judge  of  human  nature  and  despised  shams 
of  all  kinds. 

On  several  occasions  Ney  was  recognized  by  old 
soldiers  of  his  former  commands  as  the  Marshal. 
In  1840  John  Snyder  of  Iredell  County,  N.  C,  saw 
P.  S.  Ney  in  Statesville  and  was  so  surprised  that  he 
threw  up  his  hands  and  exclaimed:  "Lordy  God, 
Marshal  Ney."  Ney  gave  him  a  sign  not  to  talk 
and  later  conversed  with  him.  Ney  had  been  deeply 
interested  in  his  soldiers,  often  going  among  them 
privately  and  seeing  that  their  wants  were  supplied. 
Frederick  Barr,  another  old  soldier  of  Ney's,  rec- 
ognized him  at  a  political  meeting  in  Rowe's  township, 
nine  miles  from  Statesville.  Barr  was  greatly  excited 
and  made  an  exclamation  in  German.  Daniel  Hoke, 
a  prominent  citizen,  understood  German,  and  told  sev- 
eral others  what  Barr  had  said.  "Yonder  is  Marshal 
Ney.  They  told  me  he  was  shot,  but  he  was  not. 
Yonder  he  is.  I  know  him,  for  I  fought  under  him 
off  and  on  for  five  or  six  years  in  Napoleon's  Wars." 
Barr  was  known  as  a  reliable  and  industrious  man,  a 
tenant  of  Mr.  Hoke's.  Soon  after  Barr  suddenly  left 
the  country  for  Indiana,  and  it  was  said  that  Mr.  Hoke 
supplied  him  with  money  for  the  journey. 

About  1842  Dr.  Adams,  named  above,  met  in  Ala- 
bama Col.  Lehmanowsky,  who  was  making  a  tour  of  the 
Southern  states  lecturing  on  Napoleon's  campaigns. 
Col.  Lehmanowsky  told  Dr.  Adams  that  he  was  fully 
convinced  from  what  he  had  seen  and  heard  in  France 


A  ROMANCE  OF  HISTORY.  229 


and  in  this  country  that  Marshal  Ney  was  not  executed. 
He  said  that  he  was  well  acquainted  with  Ney  and  could 
recognize  him  at  a  glance. 

A  relative  of  Lehmanowsky's  second  wife  has  stated 
to  the  author  of  this  book  that  Lehmanowsky  stopped 
at  their  home  in  the  Shenandoah  Valley,  Va.,  en  route 
to  Carolina  for  a  visit  to  Ney. 

It  would  be  a  pleasant  task,  and  yet  not  an  easy 
one,  to  picture  this  meeting  of  the  two  Great  Hearts, 
This  meeting  is  something  to  strengthen  our  faith  in 
the  possibilities  of  our  human  nature  and  in  Provi- 
dence. Outwardly  it  was  only  a  very  retired  meeting 
in  a  foreign  land  of  two  old  comrades  in  arms,  but  let 
us  look  deeper. 

What  a  blessing  it  is  that  for  generations  this  land  of 
freedom  has  stood  beyond  the  Western  ocean  as  a 
haven  of  refuge  for  the  persecuted  of  the  Old  World, 
and,  on  the  other  hand,  what  a  benefit  some  of  the 
nobler  spirits,  driven  from  Europe  by  autocracy  in 
Church  or  State,  have  been  to  their  new  home.  What 
men  these  two  refugees  were  physically,  intellectually, 
and  even  spiritually  when  following  their  own  initiative. 
Through  what  ordeals  of  fire  had  not  these  knightly 
men  passed  and  been  brought  out  practically  unscathed 
in  body  and  how  very  rich  in  spirit!  We  can  imagine 
the  deep  joy  of  their  friendship  as  they  lived  over 
together  this  or  the  other  incident  of  their  most  event- 
ful lives  in  the  Old  World,  as  when  each  of  them  had 
been  rescued  from  the  very  hand  of  the  King  of 
Terrors,  as  he  had  come  with  such  terrible  deliberation 
to  cut  them  down.     Napoleon,  both  the  man  and  his 


230  ADDENDUM. 


fortunes,  must  have  been  their  theme  for  some  most 
earnest  discussion.  Loyalty  to  their  chief  had  become 
second  nature  to  these  brave  soldiers,  yet,  as  men  of 
high  principle,  they  must  have  seen,  especially  as 
remoteness  in  distance  and  the  lapse  of  time  had 
broken  the  strong  personal  magnetism  of  their  leader, 
that  the  image,  almost  worshipped  in  the  time  of  his 
power,  did  not  have  even  a  head  of  gold,  but  only  of 
plate,  and  that  this  was  none  too  thick  in  places. 
Family  and  friends  then,  either  across  the  wide  ocean 
or  in  the  new  home  land,  must  have  occupied  their 
thoughts  and  speech.  Their  life  callings  as  men  of 
peace  in  the  closely  related  fields  of  education  and  of 
the  gospel  ministry  and  the  dignity  and  the  rewards 
of  these  callings — what  matter  for  earnest  discussion 
was  there  not  here. 

On  various  parts  of  his  person  Peter  Stuart  Ney 
carried  scars  that  correspond  to  wounds  that  Marshal 
Ney  is  known  to  have  received,  and  of  the  resemblance 
in  penmanship  between  writings  of  Marshal  Ney  and 
some  of  P.  S.  Ney  we  have  the  following  testimony. 
David  Carvalho,  of  New  York  City,  an  expert  in  pen- 
manship, says:  "I  have  made  a  careful  analysis  of  the 
alleged  hand-writings  of  Marshal  Ney  and  Peter  S. 
Ney  contained  in  the  eight  pages  of  original  writings 
which  you  submitted  to  me.  As  the  result  of  said 
examination  I  am  of  the  opinion  that  the  writer  of 
the  specimens  on  the  four  pages  purporting  to  be  those 
of  Marshal  Ney  and  the  writer  of  the  four  pages  pur- 
porting to  be  those  of  Peter  S.  Ney  are  one  and  the 
same  person." 


A  ROMANCE  OF  HISTORY.  231 


At  times  P.  S.  Ney  would  receive  letters  from  France 
and  periods  of  deep  despondency  would  always  follow. 
On  two  occasions,  once  in  Statesville,  N.  C,  and  once 
in  Virginia,  Ney  received  visits  from  fine-looking 
young  Frenchmen,  of  whom  he  admitted,  after  their 
departure,  that  they  were  his  sons.  It  may  be  asked 
here.  Why  did  not  Ney  eventually  return  to  France, 
to  his  family  and  friends?  Strong  efforts  were  made  by 
men  of  prominence  in  France  to  obtain  a  reversal  of 
the  sentence  of  death  against  Marshal  Ney,  but  with- 
out success.  When  these  efforts  failed,  after  five  years 
of  trial,  P.  S.  Ney  became  greatly  depressed.  At  this 
time  he  wrote  in  the  album  of  a  lady  who  had  been  one 
of  his  pupils  a  significant  little  poem. 

Gone,  With  Their  Glories  Gone. 

"Though  I  of  the  chosen  the  choicest, 
To  Fame  gave  her  loftiest  tone; 
Though  I  'mong  the  brave  was  the  bravest, 
My  plume  and  my  baton  are  gone. 

"The  Eagle  that  pointed  to  conquest 
Was  struck  from  his  altitude  high, 
A  prey  to  the  vulture  the  foulest, 
No  more  to  revisit  the  sky. 

"One  sigh  to  the  hope  that  has  perished, 
One  tear  to  the  wreck  of  the  past, 
One  look  upon  all  I  have  cherished, 
One  lingering  look — 'tis  the  last. 


232  ADDENDUM. 


"And  now  from  remembrance  I  banish 
The  glories  which  shone  in  my  train; 
Oh,  vanish,  fond  memories,  vanish. 
Return  not  to  sting  me  again." 

Peter  Stuart  Ney  died  on  the  15  th  of  November, 
1846.  Dr.  M.  Locke,  one  of  his  old  pupils,  was  in 
attendance  upon  him  and  told  him  plainly  that  his 
end  was  near.  A  few  hours  before  he  died  Dr.  Locke 
said  to  him:  "Mr.  Ney,  you  have  but  a  short  time  to 
live  and  we  would  like  to  know  from  your  own  lips 
who  you  are  before  you  die."  Ney,  perfectly  rational, 
raised  himself  on  his  elbow,  and,  looking  Dr.  Locke 
full  in  the  face,  said:  "I  am  Marshal  Ney  of  France." 
Two  or  three  hours  later  he  died. 

A  fair  amount  of  material  from  first-hand  sources 
has  been  used  in  the  preparation  of  this  book,  and 
standard  histories,  such  as  Professor  Sloane's  great 
work  on  Napoleon  Bonaparte,  have  been  consulted, 
yet  in  the  Addendum  first  mention  must  be  given  to 
Major  Weston's  scholarly  work,  "Historic  Doubts 
as  to  the  Execution  of  Marshal  Ney." 


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